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EDUCATION 



ON 






THE DALTON PLAN 



EDUCATION 

ON 

THE DALTON PLAN 

BY 

HELEN PARKHURST 

Edtication Director, Children's University School 
With an Introduction by 

T. P. NUNN, M.A., D.Sc. 

Pkofessor of Education, University of London and 

Hbad of London Day Training Collsqb, 

University of London 

Contributions by 

ROSA BASSETT, M.B.E., B.A. 
AND JOHN EADES 




NEW YORK 
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 

681 Fifth Avenue 



Copyright, 1922, 
By E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY 

Ca 

All Rights Reserved • i \ 






©CI.A6b6542 



Printed in thf Vnifed Stains of America 



OCT 30 '22 



AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
TO 

MRS. W. MURRAY CRANE 
MRS. ANNE A. SAUNDERSON 

AND 

MISS BELLE RENNIE 

WHOSE GENEROUS ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO PRESENT THE DaLTON 

Laboratory Plan to the educational world 



"There is a sort of mysterious upheaval of mankind in the way 
new things spring up, which commands our awe. At a given hour, 
anything wanted by the race makes its appearance simultaneously 
from so many quarters, that the title of a single individual to 
discovery is always contested and seems clearly to belong to God 

manifested through man." 

Edward Segutn. 



FOEEWORD 

I WISH to take this opportunity of expressing my 
gratitude for the unfailing sympathy and support 
accorded to me and my work by the Parents ' Com- 
mittee, and the Faculty of the Children's Univer- 
sity School; by Ernest Jackman, Principal of 
the Dalton High School; to Dr. M. V. O'Shea of 
Wisconsin University; to Miss Helen Hutchins 
Weist, who has assisted me in England and Amer- 
ica; and to Mr. John Macrae, Vice President of 
E. P. Button & Co., whose interest and foresight 
brought out Miss Evelyn Dewey's book on the 
Dalton Laboratory Plan, giving to the educational 
public the first literature on the Dalton Plan. 

Among those to whom I am indebted in Eng- 
land for advice and encouragement are Sir 
Michael Sadler, Mr. Edmond Holmes, Dr. C. W. 
Kimmins, and Professor T. P. Nunn, who has 
kindly contributed the introduction to this book. 
My thanks are also due to Miss Rosa Bassett who 
was the first to introduce the plan in the largest 
girls' secondary school in London, and to Mr. John 
Eades, head master of a large boys' school in 
Leeds, who have contributed valuable accounts of 
experiments with the Dalton Laboratory Plan. 

Helen Pabkhuest. . 

Children's University School. 
June, 1922. 

vii 



CONTENTS 

PAQB 

Introduction. By T. P. Nunn, M.A., D.Sc, 
Professor, Department of Education, Uni- 
versity of London and Head of London 
Day Training College, University of 
London xi 

CHAPTER 

I. The Inception of the Dalton Labor- 
atory Plan 1 

11. The Plan in Principle 18 

III. The Plan in Practice 34 

IV. Its Application — A Concrete Example . 45 
V. Assignments — How to Make Them . . 57 

VI. Sample Assignments 72 

VII. The Graph Method op Recording 

Progress 134 

VIII. Teaching and Learning 150 

IX. A Year's Experiment in an English 
Secondary School. By RosA Bassett, 
M.B.E., M.A., Head Mistress, The County 
Secondary School for Girls, Streatham . 175 
ix 



X CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

X. The Dalton Plan for Elementary 
Schools. By John Eades, Head Master, 
Kirkstall Road School, Leeds . . . 196 

Appendix 

I. Assignments Which Have Been Used in 

British Elementary Schools . . . 227 

n. Assignments Which Have Been Used in the 

County Secondary School, Streatham 249 

III. Some Opinions of British Elementary 
Head Mistresses and Children on 
THE Dalton Plan 269 



INTEODUCTION 

Teaching and learning are correlative occupations 
which have been carried on since the beginnings of 
human society. In this book Miss Helen Park- 
hnrst inquires how they may best be adjusted to 
one another, and offers a definite answer to the 
question. 

To many persons, teachers as well as laymen, 
both inquiry and answer may seem, at this time 
of day, to be superfluous. Does not everyone know 
well enough what it is to be taught and to learn? 
And is not discussion of so simple a matter bound 
to prove one of those exercises in word-spinning 
which delight pedants and cranks, but are a cause 
of just irritation to sensible people? To these 
objections it is enough to reply that the matter 
cannot be so simple, for it is one upon which wide 
and important differences of opinion have existed, 
and still exist. A fresh debate, conducted in the 
practical spirit which inspires the following pages, 
must therefore be useful, if it does no more than 
challenge us to re-examine accepted' ideas and re- 
assure ourselves of their soundness. In educa- 
tion, as in all the arts of life, a certain 'Vscepticism 
of the instrument" (as Mr. WeUs has called it) 

ad 



3di INTRODUCTION 

is constantly needed if progress is not to end 
in the stagnation of routine. 

The central question about teaching and learn- 
ing may be put thus : What is the proper distri- 
bution of initiative and responsibility between 
teacher and taught? The answer to be given ob- 
viously depends upon the pupil's natural attitude 
towards learning, his insight (conscious or uncon- 
scious) into his own needs, and the strength of his 
will to satisfy them. Upon these points very pessi- 
mistic views once prevailed. A boy, it was held, 
cannot possibly know what is good for him, and 
having crept, like a snail, unwillingly to school, 
will learn there only what he is made to learn. Ini- 
tiative and responsibility belong, then, almost 
wholly to his teachers. It is for them to decide 
not only what shall be taught, but also how and 
when it shall be learnt ; the boy's share in the busi- 
ness is simply to perform his task — or, failing 
that, to pay the penalty attached to laziness, stu- 
pidity, or contumacy. This theory does not ac- 
tually deny that boys and girls have natural in- 
terests and are keen to pursue them, but it regards 
them as the foe, rather than the friend, of the 
•schoolmaster. * ' Go and see what Budge and Tod 
are doing, and tell them not to" expresses its 
general attitude towards the initiative of youth. 
As regards school learning, its working hypothesis 
is the idea that the child's mind is a wax tablet 
scraped clean to receive such characters as the 
teacher may choose to impress on it, or (as 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

Dickens' Mr. M 'Choakumchild thought) an empty- 
vessel to be filled at his discretion with "imperial 
gallons of fact." 

In its cruder forms this view will hardly be 
found now in any responsible quarter. Even Mr. 
Bernard Shaw, who thinks so poorly of schools, 
does not deny that boys and girls are often far 
happier in them than outside. And there is no 
doubt that they are happier and spend their 
schooldays more profitably than they used to do 
because the modern schoohnaster has, so to speak, 
recognized their natural activities officially, and 
allows them to be to some extent partners in the 
management of their own lives — in short, because 
Mr. M 'Choakumchild is definitely dead. Neverthe- 
less, it is possible for a cynic to maintain that his 
isoul goes marching on and will continue to do so 
while two institutions stand which, taken together, 
express the essence of his educational philosophy. 
Those institutions are the customary school time- 
table and the customary system of class instruc- 
tion. For the time-table originated in the assump- 
tion that the teacher should dictate what his pupils 
are to do at every hour of their school lives, and 
the class-system in the belief that he may ignore 
the varied modes and rates of movement which 
distinguish one mind from another, and may treat 
five and twenty minds (or a hundred) as if they 
were one. 

Now it may be said in defence that an institution 
may be very valuable, even though its origin be 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

disreputable; that ''whate'er is best administered 
is best"; and that, as a matter of fact, an immense 
amount of good work is done in schools where no 
alternative to the class method has ever been 
thought of. These things are doubtless true. The 
old machinery has been captured by a new spirit ; 
but the very competence and humanity with which 
it is now handled have led many observers to 
** scepticism of the instrument" — ^have led them, 
that is, to doubt whether the class-method has not 
pressed far beyond its limits of usefulness, and 
whether it should not be supplemented, if not 
wholly replaced, by another. 

Some time ago the writer of these lines ex- 
pressed such doubts in a passage which— since it 
looks beyond the disease to a possible remedy — ^he 
may be allowed to quote : 

*''You all know how a familiar word, per- 
sistently stared at suddenly becomes almost 
alarmingly strange and meaningless — ^how 
(as William James said) it seems to glare 
back from the page with no speculation in its 
eyes. You will have something like the same 
uncanny experience if you watch the opera- 
tion of a school time-table after rigorously 
clearing your mind of its familiar associa- 
tions. From 10.15 to 11.00 twenty-five souls 
are simultaneously engrossed in the theory 

• From a Presidential Address to the Mathematical Associa- 
tion. Printed in the Mather) t,atical Gazette fox March, 1918. 



INTRODUCTION 3cv 

of quadratic equations ; at the very stroke of 
tlie hour their interest in this subject suddenly 
expires, and they all demand exercise in 
French phonetics ! Like the agreement of ac- 
tors on the stage, * their unanimity is wonder- 
ful ' — but also, when one comes to think of it, 
ludicrously artificial. Can we devise no way 
of conducting our business that would bring 
it into better accord with the natural ebb and 
flow of interest and activity! It may be that 
the specialist system, often a tireless compli- 
cation of the present arrangements, would 
make a fluid organization perfectly feasible. 
There must still be, no doubt, certain fixed 
periods for collective work; but during the 
rest of the day each specialist's room might 
be a 'pupil room' in which boys or girls of 
all standing would work, singly or in groups, 
in independence of one another, and for vari- 
able lengths of time. It would, of course, be 
necessary to record each pupil's progress and 
to see that he followed a reasonable pro- 
gramme of studies, but I find no reason why 
in such matters methods like those of the 
Caldecott Community should not be universa- 
lized." 

Years before these words were uttered the 
speaker, like numberless other teachers, had 
worked something like this plan with a group of 
senior pupils; and he had before his mind, of 



xvi INTRODUCTION 

course, Professor Dewey's work and Miss 
Mason's, and especially the striking reforms in 
the education of young children inspired by Dr. 
Montessori. But he was quite unaware that what 
he put forward as a dream of the future was, while 
he spoke, an actual fact on the farther side of the 
Atlantic. It was left to Miss Belle Rennie to add 
to her many services to progress in education by 
bringing Miss Parkhurst's courageous and weU- 
thought-out experiment to the notice of British 
teachers. 

Miss Rennie's brief account of the ''Dalton 
Laboratory Plan" appeared in the Education Sup- 
plement of The Times in May, 1920, and her 
swollen post-bag began at once to show how widely 
dissatisfaction with the class-method is spread and 
how many teachers are looking for a better instru- 
ment of instruction. One month later, a large- 
scale repetition of the American experiment was 
initiated by Miss Rosa Bassett at the Streatham 
County Secondary School ; in August the first vin- 
tage of her results were discussed at the Cardiff 
meeting of the British Association. Thereafter, 
interest grew so rapidly that, in July, 1921, when 
Miss Parkhurst came to England, accommodation 
could not be found for all who wished to hear her 
expound the ''plan," and when Miss Bassett 
opened the doors of her school to inquirers for 
three days the roads of Streatham were encum- 
bered with over two thousand pilgrims ! 

Nothing need be said here about the plan itself, 



INTRODUCTION xvii 

for Miss Parkhurst explains it with careful de- 
tail in the following chapters, and Miss Bassett 
has added an account of her experience in adapt- 
ing it to the conditions of a large English secon- 
dary school. It is, however, permissible to one 
who has the honour of introducing the book to its 
public, to commend the scientific temper in Avhich 
it is written. Miss Parkhurst has envisaged a 
definite problem of great practical importance: 
namely, how to secure from the vast volume of 
educational effort expended in schools a richer 
harvest of individual culture and efficiency. The 
''Dalton Laboratory Plan" is her solution. No 
one recognizes more clearly than she that there are 
others, and that her own is not final, but is sus- 
ceptible of useful modification and development. 
When Dr. Montessori's work became known in this 
country, the movement towards what is somewhat 
barbarously called ''auto-education" received a 
remarkable impulse. Everywhere reformers are 
now busy opening up and exploring new ways of 
conducting the ancient work of education. Some 
are "wilder comrades," sworn to cut themselves 
off from the old tradition and everything that 
belongs to it. These may regard as a miserable 
compromise a scheme which does not demand even 
the abolition of public examinations! But to no 
less adventurous spirits, who would hasten slowly 
and keep on firm ground, the "Dalton Plan" offers 
a path of progress which may safely be taken by; 



xviii INTRODUCTION 

all who have the gifts of intelligence, devotion, and 
enterprise. 

Boldness and originality are typical qualities of 
American education, and we may hope that the 
present close and happy association between an 
American teacher and the English men and women 
who are following her lead may also become typ- 
ical. Typically American, too, is the generosity 
which has prompted Miss Parkhurst to assign her 
pecuniary interest in this book to a noble English 
institution — the Heritage Craft School for Crip- 
pled Children at Chailey. On all grounds we may 
wish good-speed to her enterprise. 

T. P. NUNN. 

University op London, 
April, 1922. 



EDUCATION 



ON 



THE DALTON PLAN 



EDUCATION ON THE 
DALTON PLAN 



CHAPTER I 

The Inception of the Dalton Laboratory Plan 

Among American thinkers Emerson was one of the 
first to realize and to point out that our educa- 
tional system was a failure because the ideals 
upon which it had been founded had lost their ., 
meaning. ^'We are students of words," he wrote, «/ 
"we are shut up in schools and colleges and reci- 
tation rooms for ten or fifteen years and come 
out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, 
and do not know a thing. " In a recent interview 
Thomas Edison, whose only formal education con- 
sisted of ''some instruction from his mother" 
echoed this indictment. ''The possibilities for 
the development of the human brain are, ' ' he said, 
"almost infinite. But the important thing is 
not to make young children study the thing they 
don't like, for the moment school is not as inter- 



2 THE DALTON PLAN 

esting as play it is an injury. I don 't know exactly 
at what age a child's mind atrophies, but it is 
somewhere between eleven and fourteen. If you 
make. a child study things he doesn't care for, 
and keep this up until he is fourteen, his brain will 
be impaired forever. Children naturally like to 
learn. They possess great curiosity but they must 
be interested in the subject. Our educational 
methods fail to do this. Change these methods, 
and many more 'freaks' will be produced. I am 
a 'freak' myself." 

Is it any wonder therefore that in the United 
States, where every man can be educated at the 
expense of his state, the percentage of failures in 
colleges and universities is said to be greater to- 
day than at any previous time in our history. 
Formerly when the educational field was much 
narrower than it is now only a selected few went 
to college. They were the mental superiors in each 
family, chosen for their supposed fitness to enjoy 
the benefits of higher education. Thus they were 
judged and labelled as superior specimens even be- 
fore they were submitted to the educational proc- 
ess. As a result they returned from college more 
or less as they went into it. Education was at 
that time considered a privilege and the educated 
became automatically a class apart, exempt from 
criticism. Their crystallized attitude, which school 
had only served to confirm, cut them off from the 
simpler men and women whose offspring they 
[were. How could they have anything in common 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 3 

with the parental struggle and sacrifice which had 
made it possible for them to enjoy these advan- 
tages? They were, if anything, less able to share 
the common lot, having bartered their simplicity 
for a pedestal of intellectual passivity which ren- 
dered them useless to society at home or at large. 

That was the United States of yesterday. To- 
day the very meaning of education has changed. 
It is no longer regarded as an end in itself and for 
every single individual who set out in search of 
it in the past there are now fifty. So universal is 
the demand for education that the minority which 
remains indifferent to its advantages has become 
negligible. With schools and colleges filled to 
overflowing educationalists are face to face with 
new problems, both spiritual and material. The 
demand is not only infinitely greater than ever 
before, but it is also a different kind of demand. 
In the old days the student went to school to get 
what the school had to offer him ; now he goes to 
school to satisfy a definite need for self-develop- 
ment. He is no longer disposed to learn just what 
the teacher proposes to teach. The mould that 
has done for past generations of pupils will no 
longer do for him. 

Unfortunately the men and women who work by 
the old system and live by it are not only naturally 
interested in its preservation but they almost in- 
inevitably lose the power to judge of it imper- 
sonally. Their minds become encrusted like the 
system itself. And though there are many sincere 



4 THE DALTON PLAN 

and well-disposed persons among them they are 
apt to become, through devoting all their energies 
to the task of ''keeping up the old traditions," 
incapable of re-kindling the torch of truth. Such 
people continue to regard themselves as the conse- 
crated leaders of youth — leaders whose authority 
cannot be disputed. They continue to judge the 
new and varied crowd of students by the same old 
standards. Nothing will induce them to scrap the 
outworn routine for a fresh and vital method made 
to fit a fresh and vital humanity. 

More criticism of the educational system comes 
from the parents of pupils. On every side one 
hears the question asked, "What has my daughter 
got out of her college training?" and again, ''How 
has the university fitted my son for the battle of 
life?" The answer of the schools that they pro- 
vide "experience" is only valid after a definition 
of what experience really is. The pioneers of the 
early days of American history were usually men 
who were quite uneducated in the academic sense 
of the word. Experience was their only school. 
Their inborn talents alone enabled them to learn 
the supreme lesson of life. They were the sur- 
vivors who fought and conquered. But what of 
those who fell in the battle and who might with 
the aid of some educational experience have 
given a good account of themselves? To-day we 
cannot afford so high a proportion of derelicts. 
We have got to find some way of expanding and 
strengthening the natural talents of the average 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 5 

boy before he goes forth into the wide struggle 
for life and success. We have got to provide op- 
portunities for the average girl to learn not only- 
how to develop her intellect but also how to con- 
duct herself as a unit of society. 

In order to acquire these two kinds of expe- 
rience while we are still immature beings a fa- 
vourable environment is the first essential. On 
this point Edwin G. Conklin writes in an illuminat- 
ing way in his book Heredity and Environment. 
According to this author ' ' Only that environment 
and training are good which lead to the develop- 
ment of good habits and traits or to the suppres- 
sion of bad ones. ... In general the best envi- 
ronment is one which avoids extremes, one which 
is neither too easy nor too hard, one which pro- 
duces maximum efficiency of mind and body." 

"In education we are strangely blind to proper 
aims and methods. Any education is bad which 
leads to the formation of habits of idleness, care- 
lessness, failure, instead of industry, thorough- 
ness and success. Any religion or social institu- 
tion is bad which leads to habits of pious make- 
believe, insincerity, slavish regard for authority 
and disregard for evidence, instead of habits of 
sincerity, open-mindedness and independence." 

These are the beacon lights towards which 
education should tend. By its works on the pupils 
we shall know it. Has our educational system suc- 
ceeded in making the children upon whom it has 
been imposed industrious, sincere, open-minded 



6 ^ THE DALTON PLAN 

and independent? The answer must certainly be 
in the negative. This is not, however, to say that 
those qualities can only be developed at the sacri- 
fice of the old and purely cultural values to the 
attainment of which the efforts of educationalists 
have been hitherto exclusively devoted. It is pos- 
sible to inculcate a respect for learning and the de- 
eire for a high level of cultural development and 
at the same time to breed in the young that moral 
stamina upon which Edwin Conklin sets such price 
and which is indispensable to good and abundant 
living. But this twin ideal mil only be reached 
if school life is modified as so to include training 
in real experience — that experience for which a 
craving exists in every youthful heart. \The child 
must be fortified to solve the problems of child- 
hood before he comes face to face with the problem 
of youth and maturity. He can only do this if 
education is designed to give him such freedom 
and responsibility as will permit him to tackle 
them for and by himself. Experience is that and 
nothing more. Without it no development of 
character is possible, and without character no 
problems can be satisfactorily solved at any age. 
The child, cramped and frustrated by the rules 
and regulations of our educational system, never 
gets to grips with experience in any form. He 
neither learns to master his own difficulties nor the 
difficulties bred of contact with his fellows. 

It is indeed almost impossible to over-estimate 
the value of such experience to the child as to the 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 7 

adult. It tests as nothing else can test the moral 
and intellectual fibre of the individual. It shapes 
and tempers his thoughts, sharpens and enlarges 
his judgment, teaching at the same time the most 
important lesson of all — self-discipline — as the in- 
dividual comes into relation with other individu- 
als. Group consciousness grows out of this social 
experience. Only by bringing it into the daily 
lives of our children can we give back to school 
life that zest and purpose and interest which it 
has lost. 

One day when an express train was bearing me 
away from New York for a much-needed and long- 
anticipated holiday, a remark thrown out by a 
fellow passenger distracted me from my observa- 
tion of the rapidly receding landscape. 

''Would you believe it?" he exclaimed, "that 
upon a modern railroad less than eighty years old 
such as this, education and instruction are only 
just beginning to take the place of discipline and 
criticism? We used to suspend unsatisfactory 
workmen. Now we are trying to understand them 
and already we have far less trouble. ' ' 

If the speaker had been a professor instead 
of a railroad official as he proceeded to tell me he 
was — his words would have caused me less sur- 
prise. But he had turned an unexpected search- 
light upon the very problems that were then en- 
gaging my attention. As he had no idea I was 
an educationalist I eagerly grasped this oppor- 
tunity to get an outside opinion upon them. At 



8 THE DALTON PLAN 

that moment the train flew past a band of workmen 
in the act of doing their job. 

''Look at those men," continued my companion, 
** they've not the slightest idea of the best way to 
handle their work. ' ' 

' ' Why not ? " I inquired. 

''Because the handling of the job belongs to the 
foreman. It is his duty to think for the gang. 
A labourer who thinks for himself would soon be 
voted a nuisance. The foreman would resent any- 
one telling him how to run his job and the man 
would probably be fired. Yet how much better 
the result would be if the labourer looked upon 
the job as his own and felt responsible for it. In 
that case the foreman would become a helper in- 
stead of a driver." 

Our discussion ranged over station clerks, 
brakemen, and engineers — their training and in- 
terest in the great railroad system of which they 
were like cogs in the wheels. And as we talked I 
felt that my problem and his problem were really 
the same. 

Finally I ventured to ask his opinion of his 
chief, the President of the road. The reply came 
in a different tone, quick with enthusiastic admi- 
ration. 

"Oh! He's another sort altogether. WeVe a 
a president who knows how. He looks ahead and 
plans with that rare ability built up by experience. 
Why, when he begins to talk you soon find he's 
left you and your ideas as far behind as this train 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 9 

has left those labourers. Yes — our president's 
one in a million — a fearless human being!" 

The phrase sank into my heart, for isn't that 
just what we educationalists are trying to create 
— fearless human beings? Life needs them, the 
world needs them because there are never enough 
to go round. They are so rare — those men and 
women who can look ahead and plan — ^who know 
how! 

For years before that train journey I had been 
asking myself whether, how, and when that kind 
of fearless human being could be evolved. My 
first experience of teaching came to me in a rural 
school where forty pupils were divided into eight 
grades or classes. I had thus to provide occu- 
pation for seven classes while I gave oral instruc- 
tion to one class. To get every pupil busy on 
something until I could overlook his work oc- 
curred to me as the best solution of the difficulty. 
To make this plan a success I had to get the older 
children to help the little ones. They, and espe- 
cially the big boys, responded to my appeal. With 
their assistance I transformed a storeroom into a 
library. Each comer of the school room I marked 
off for each different subject. In addition to the 
converted storeroom, we possessed a garden and 
a hall which was soon doing duty as a playroom. 
Even in that stolid backwoods community no one 
objected to these unconventional experiments be- 
cause they were a success. The attendance rose 
rapidly; the children were orderly and obedient, 



10 THE DALTON PLAN 

and they worked with a will. Some of my popu- 
larity was due to my father, who used to tell them 
Indian stories when he came to fetch me every 
Friday. But the school authorities also showed 
their approval of the results attained, for at the 
end of the school term they reported me as ''com- 
petent and of good steady habits." 

Later on as instructor in a High School, Pri- 
mary Schools, Normal Training Schools and a 
Training College I found myself up against other 
difficulties, and though I constantly exercised my 
ingenuity in seeking a solution for them I was 
never satisfied. It is no wonder therefore that 
when in 1908 a former instructor gave me a copy 
of Edgar James Swift's book Mind in the Making 
I was impressed by the ideas it contained. 

That book influenced me and my work pro- 
foundly. I owe to it my first conception of ' ' edu- 
cational laboratories." After reading it over and 
over again I always returned to the two passages 
which seemed to contain the key to my special 
problems. The first ran as f oUows ; 

**The rational method is to work ivith the 
students, inspiring them with longing to delve 
into things for themselves and to make their 
contribution to the common fund of knowl- 
edge, to be discussed or clarified in the reci- 
tation.* The didactic method belongs to the 
Middle Ages. It still dominates our schools, 

* Oral lesson. 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 11 

though the conditions that made it serviceable 
have long since passed. Mental expansion of 
the teachers themselves is the first step to- 
wards removing this mediaeval debris. TJiey 
will then investigate their pupils, the school- 
room will become an educational laboratory, 
and activity will not be limited to the manual 
training department. The influence of sug- 
gestion through environment has never re- 
ceived its proper recognition in education. 
Teachers want to play a too conspicuous part 
in the mentations of the pupils. But the educa- 
tor is limited, in the ends he may pre-elect, by 
the complexity of human life. The very child 
whose qualities he disapproves of may be the 
germ of a man much beyond his own mental 
reach.'' 

To me the second passage which I quote was 
scarcely less illuminating. "Thus far educational 
experiments have been too detached and fragmen- 
tary. The few who have undertaken them 
were already burdened with heavy work which 
occupied most of their day. This left little leisure 
or energy for working out details or for a critical 
study of the results. In many instances lack of 
time forced the abandonment of the experiment 
before its completion. This is the result of failure 
to appreciate the importance of the work. Edu- 
cation has been hitherto too absorbed in its his- 
tory. Teachers are constantly straining their eyes 



12 THE DALTON PLAN 

by looking over their shoulders at Pestalozzi, 
Froebel and Herbart, instead of looking forward 
to new achievements. As a result pedagogy is 
always on the defensive against the charge of 
vagueness, romanticism and particularly inade- 
quacy. Economy of energy is quite as truly a 
problem for education as for mechanics. Efficiency 
— the ratio of useful work to the energy spent in 
accomplishing it — ^may be increased by lessening 
the resistance, or by applying more power, and 
teachers have occupied themselves too exclusively 
!with producing power.'' 

It was Edgar Swift's book, which I gave to 
every student who seemed likely to understand it, 
that made me take the firm resolution to become 
a free lance in education as soon as I could, with 
leisure enough to experiment in the search for a 
new and better way. 

Three years later I began to realize that ambi- 
tion by drafting a plan of work for children be- 
tween eight and twelve years of age to be carried 
out in the first '^ educational laboratory." A col- 
league in a Normal Training College consented to 
collaborate with me while professing scepticism as 
to the practicability of my plan. But the fear of 
being condemmed as a revolutionary at war 
against hallowed traditions prevented my discuss- 
ing the new method in the classroom, though I 
tried to explain it outside school to a. chosen band 
X)t students. 

From its inception, the laboratory plan, as I 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 13 

continued to call it even after perfecting it in 1913, 
aimed at the entire reorganization of school life. 
My idea was to substitute for the top-heavy ma- 
chinery actually in use a simple reconstruction 
of school procedure under which the pupils would 
enjoy more freedom as well as an environment 
better adapted to the different sections of their 
studies in which each instructor should be a spe- 
cialist. Above all I wanted to equalize the pupiPs 
individual difficulties and to provide the same op- 
portunity for advancement to the slow as to the 
bright child. By 1913 we had worked out the lab- 
oratory plan so as to partially eliminate the time 
table, but it was not until 1915 that we were able 
to get rid of it entirely. In 1913 we began by or- 
ganizing the pupils into groups with a free choice 
of laboratories. That was in itself a great in- 
novation, though they were still obliged to remain 
in isolated groups. It took me two years more to 
work out the full interaction of groups upon each 
other. 

I was fortunate in always securing for my ex- 
periments the sympathy and encouragement of 
the heads of various institutions with which I was 
connected. My role of supervisor enabled me to 
gain experience in the problems of organization 
as well as in the problems of method. Of stiU 
greater value were the occasions afforded me to 
watch the developments of other experiments, and 
my petitions for leave of absence for this purpose 
were never refused. In 1914 I applied for per- 



14 THE DALTON PLAN 

mission to go to Italy in order to investigate the 
Montessori method. After that experience I took 
part in the application of this method in Califor- 
nia in 1915. On that occasion I acted as Dr. Mon- 
tessori 's assistant, and while a member of her 
household I attended four training courses. Dur- 
ing this period of my career I enjoyed, through the 
courtesy of Dr. Frederic Burk and his interest 
in my work the satisfaction of making a practical 
test of my laboratory plan upon a selected group 
of one hundred children, between the ages of nine 
and twelve. 

Between December 1915 and January 1918, hav- 
ing accepted the charge of looking after Dr. Mon- 
tessori 's interests in America, I was obliged to 
abandon temporarily my experiments with the 
laboratory idea. But I eagerly resumed them after 
resigning this charge with the financial support 
of the Child Education Foundation, which I at 
that time directed. By that time I felt I had 
'devoted sufficient study to the individual aspect of 
education. The school in its aspect of a human 
society then engrossed my energy. 

It was in September 1919, just fifteen years 
after my first experience in teaching, that I was 
able to see the laboratory plan applied in an un- 
graded school for crippled boys. For me it was 
a great moment, and I can never be sufficiently 
grateful to those who unselfishly gave me an op- 
portunity to put my plan into practice. I might, of 
course, have found other schools where the experi- 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 15 

ment in its entirety could have been tried upon 
unhandicapped children. But both I myself and 
niy friend, Mrs. W. Murray Crane, were actuated 
by the desire to give those cripples all the 
joy and happiness that could possibly be in- 
cluded in education. As trustee of that cripple 
school which she had helped to found and to en- 
dow, and as chairman of its Educational Com- 
mittee, Mrs. W. Murray Crane deserves all the 
admiration I can express. Some months pre- 
viously she had asked me to make any suggestions 
that occurred to me for the improvement of the 
school. It seemed to me then that the laboratory 
plan was just what it needed, and when in No- 
vember 1918 I explained the plan to her she under- 
stood and believed in it from the very first. Some 
months later I visited the Cripple School and by 
the autumn of 1919 the plan was in operation 
there. Very soon it bore good fruit and aroused 
interest in many quarters. To me that experience 
was invaluable, for it was there I discovered that 
some device for checking progress of each pupil 
was a necessity. It was there I invented the 
Graphs which I will deal with in a later chapter. 
With the aid of these graphs I found it possible 
to simplify the organization and to perfect the 
interaction of the various groups. 

Our success with the cripples inspired Mrs. 
Crane with the ambitious project of applying the 
laboratory plan to the boys and girls of the High 
School in her home town at Dalton, Massachusetts. 



16 THE DALTON PLAN 

In February 1920 that ambition was realized. 
Soon after we had started on the new method, Dal- 
ton High School received the visit of Mrs. 
Saunderson, bringing with her Miss Belle Rennie 
of London, one of the pioneers of the new educa- 
tional ideas in England. Miss Rennie 's interest in 
my work led her to write about it after her return 
to London, and fearing that my cherished term 
** laboratory" might be misunderstood, I then 
decided to call my plan the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan, by which it has since been known. 

I admit that the word laboratory may seem to 
some people inappropriate, because hitherto it has 
been associated exclusively with scientific experi- 
ments. But to me the word is most significant, and 
I cling to it advisedly in the hope that it may grad- 
ually shift the educational point of view away 
from the atmosphere of prejudice and moribund 
theories which the word ''school" calls up in our 
minds. Let us think of school rather as a socio- 
logical laboratory where the pupils themselves are 
the experimenters, not the victims of an intricate 
and crystallized system in whose evolution they 
have neither part nor lot. Let us think of it as a 
place where community conditions prevail as they 
prevail in life itself. 

From. Dalton we went on to conquer fresh fields. 
I am greatly indebted to a group of friends, espe- 
cially Mrs. James T. Pyle, for their faith and help 
in the early days. Later, through the generosity 
of Mr. and Mrs. W. Murray Crane, the Children's 



INCEPTION OF THE DALTON PLAN 17 

University School was founded with the avowed 
object of demonstrating what the Dalton plan 
could do to re-vitalize education — to make it a 
living thing capable of arousing and preserving 
the interest of pupils in their work. Here it 
was first applied to children of pre-adolescent age. 
To their co-operation and to their criticism I also 
owe much. Even before discussing the plan in de- 
tail with my associates I presented it to the chil- 
dren and invited their opinion upon it. Their sug- 
gestions were extremely valuable. It was, in fact, 
the pupils themselves who showed me the way to 
correct several points in which it was defective. 
Thus at the very outset the principle of freedom 
in education for those whom we aspire to educate 
justified itself. 



CHAPTER II 

The Plan in Peinciple 

Broadly speaking the old type of school may be 
said to stand for culture, while the modern type 
of school stands for experience. The Dalton Lab- 
oratory Plan is primarily a way whereby both 
these aims can be reconciled and achieved. 

The acquisition of culture is a form of expe- 
rience, and as such is an element in the business 
of living with which school ought to be as inti- 
mately concerned as is adult existence. But it will 
never become so until the school as a whole is re- 
organized so that it can function like a community 
■ — a community whose essential condition is free- 
dom for the individual to develop himself. 

This ideal freedom is not license, still less in- 
discipline. It is, in fact, the very reverse of both. 
The child who *'does as he likes" is not a free 
child. He is, on the contrary, apt to become the 
slave of bad habits, selfish and quite unfit for com- 
munity life. Under these circumstances he needs 
some means of liberating his energy before he 
can grow into a harmonious, responsible being, 
able and willing to lend himself consciously to co- 
operation with his fellows for their common bene- 

18 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 19 

fit. The Dalton Laboratory Plan provides that 
means by diverting his energy to the pursuit and 
organization of his own studies in his own way. 
It gives him that mental and moral liberty which 
we recognize as so necessary on the physical plane 
in order to insure his bodily well-being. Anti- 
social qualities and activities are, after all, merely 
misdirected energy. 

Freedom is therefore the first principle of the 
Dalton Laboratory Plan. * From the academic, or ' 
cultured, point of view, the pupil must be made 
free to continue his work upon any subject in 
which he is absorbed without interruption, because 
when interested he is mentally keener, more alert, 
and more capable of mastering any difficulty that 
may arise in the course of his study.,.. Under the 
new method there are no bells to tear him away 
at an appointed hour and chain him pedagogically 
to another subject and another teacher. Thus 
treated, the energy of the pupil automatically runs 
to waste. Such arbitrary transfers are indeed as 
uneconomic as if we were to turn an electric stove 
on and off at stated intervals for no reason. Un- 
less a pupil is permitted to absorb knowledge at 
his own rate of speed he will never learn anything 
thoroughly. Freedom is taking his own time. To 
take someone else's time is slavery. 

The second principle of the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan is co-operation or, as I prefer to call it, the 
interaction of group life. There is a passage in 
Dr. John Dewey's Democracy and Education 



30 THE DALTON PLAN 

which admirably defines this idea. "The object 
of a democratic education," he writes, '*is not 
merely to make an individual an intelligent par- 
ticipator in the life of his immediate group, but 
to bring the various groups into such constant in- 
teraction that no individual, no economic group, 
could presume to live independently of others." 

Under the old educational system a pupil can 
and often does live outside his group, touching it 
only when he passes in company with his fellows 
over the common mental highway called the curric- 
ulum. This easily ends in his becoming anti- 
social, and if so he carries this handicap with him 
when he leaves school for the wider domain of life. 
Such a pupil may even be "an intelligent partic- 
ipator" in the life of his form or class, just as 
a teacher may be. But a democratic institution 
demands more than this. Real social living is 
more than contact; it is co-operation and inter- 
action. A school cannot reflect the social expe- 
rience which is the fruit of community life unless 
all its parts, or groups, develop those intimate 
relations one with the other and that interdepend- 
ence which, outside school, binds men and nations 
together. 

Conditions are created by the Dalton Labora- 
tory Plan in which the pupil, in order to enjoy 
them, involuntarily functions as a member of a 
social community. He is accepted or rejected by 
this community according as his functioning, or 
conduct is social or the reverse. The law operates 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 21 

in school just as it does in the world of men and 
women. To be effective this law must not be im- 
posed, but unwritten, an emanation as it were of 
the atmosphere breathed by the community. The 
value of community life lies in the service it ren- 
ders in making each free individual composing it 
perpetually conscious that he, as a member, is a co- 
worker responsible to, and for, the whole. 

This constitutes a problem in school procedure. 
It should be so organized that neither pupil nor 
teacher can isolate themselves, nor escape their 
due share in the activities and in the difficulties 
of others. We all know the teachers who hang up 
their personality each morning as they hang up 
their coats. Outside school these people have 
human interests and human charm which they do 
not dare to exhibit when with their pupils 
lest they should in so doing seem to abro- 
gate their authority. The Dalton Laboratory Plan 
has no use for the parade of such fictitious au- 
thority, Avhich is restrictive, not educative. In- 
stead of promoting order it provokes indiscipline. 
It is fatal to the idea of a school as a vital social 
unit. 

Equally, from the pupil's point of view, is the 
child when submitted to the action of arbitratory 
authority and to immutable rules and regulations, 
incapable of developing a social consciousness | 

which is the prelude to that social experience so 
indispensable as a preparation for' manhood and 
womanhood. Academically considered, the old 



22 THE DALTON PLAN 

system is just as fatal as it is from the social point 
of view. A child never voluntarily undertakes 
anything that he does not understand. The choice 
of his games or pursuits is determined by a clear 
estimate of his capabilities to excel in them. Hav- 
ing the responsibility of his choice his mind 
acts like a powerful microscope, taking in and 
weighing every aspect of the problem he must 
master in order to ensure success. Given the same 
free conditions his mind would act on the problems 
of study in exactly the same way. Under the 
Dalton Laboratory Plan we place the work prob- 
lem squarely before him, indicating the standard 
which has to be attained. After that he is allowed 
to tackle it as he thinks fit in his own way and at 
his own speed. Responsibility for the result will 
develop not only his latent intellectual powers, 
but also his judgment and character. 

But in order that he may accomplish this edu- 
cative process — in order that he may be led to edu- 
cate himself — we must give him an opportunity 
to survey the whole of the task we set. To win the 
race he must first get a clear view of the goal. 
It would be well to lay a whole twelvemonth's 
work before the pupil at the beginning of the 
school year. This will give him a perspective 
of the plan of his education. He will thus be able 
to judge of the steps he must take each month 
and each week so that he may cover the whole 
road, instead of going blindly forward with no 
idea either of the road or the goal. How so handi- 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 23 

capped can a child be expected to be interested 
in the race even to desire to win it? How can 
a teacher hope to turn out a well-equipped human 
being unless he takes the trouble to study the 
psychology of the child? Both for master and for 
pupil a perception of their job is essential. Edu- 
cation is, after all, a co-operative task. Their suc- 
cess or failure in it is interlocked. 

Children learn, if we would only believe it, 
just as men and women learn, by adjusting means 
to ends. "What does a pupil do when given, as 
he is given by the Dalton Laboratory Plan, re- 
sponsibility for the performance of such and such 
work? Instinctively he seeks the best way of 
achieving it. Then having decided, he proceeds to 
act upon that decision. Supposing his plan does 
not seem to fit his purpose, he discards it and 
tries another. Later on he may find it profitable 
to consult his fellow students engaged in a similar 
task. Discussion helps to clarify his ideas and 
also his plan of procedure. When he comes to the 
end the finished achievement takes on all the splen- 
dour of success. It embodies all he has thought 
and felt and lived during the time it has taken 
to complete. This is real experience. It is culture 
acquired through individual development and 
through collective co-operation. It is no longer 
school — it is life. 

Not only will this method of education stimulate 
the deepest interest and the highest powers in a 
student, but it will teach him how to proportion 



24 THE DALTON PLAN 

effort to attainment. In his book upon the prin- 
ciples of war General Foch says: "Economy of 
forces consists in throwing all the forces at one 's 
disposition at a given time upon one point." So 
the child's attack upon his problem of work should 
be facilitated by allowing him to concentrate all 
his forces upon the subject that claims his interest 
at one particular moment. He will in this case 
not only do more work, but better work too. The 
Dalton Laboratory Plan permits pupils to budget 
their time and to spend it according to their need. 

"The secret of education," so Emerson tells us, 
"lies in respecting the pupil. It is not for you 
to chose what he shall know, what he shall do. It 
is chosen and fore-ordained and he alone holds 
the key to his own secret. By your tampering and 
thwarting and too much governing he may be hin- 
dered from his end and kept out of his own. Ee- 
spect the child. Wait and see the new product 
of nature. Nature loves analogies but not repe- 
titions. Respect the child. Be not too much his 
parent. Trespass not on his solitude. 

"But I hear the outcry which replies to this sug- 
gestion: Would you verily throw up the reins 
of public and private discipline ; would you leave 
the young child to the mad career of his own 
passions and whimsies and call this anarchy re- 
spect for the child's nature? I answer: Eespect 
the child, respect him to the end, but also respect 
yourself. Be the companion of his thought, the 
friend of his friendship, the lover of his virtue, 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 25 

but no kinsman of his sin. He makes wild at- 
tempts to explain himself, and invokes the aid and 
consent of the bystanders. Baffled by want of lan- 
guage and methods to convey his meaning, not yet 
clear to himself, he conceives that though not in 
this house or town, yet in some other house or 
town is the wise master who can put him in pos- 
session of the rules and instruments to execute 
his will. Happy this child with a bias, with a 
thought which entrances him, leads him, now into 
deserts, now into cities, the fool of an idea. Let 
him follow it in good and evil report, in good or 
in bad company. It will justify itself ; it will lead 
him at last into that illustrious society of the 
lovers of truth. 

' ' Cannot we let people be themselves and enjoy 
life in their own way? You are trying to make 
that man another you. One 's enough. 

''Or we sacrifice the genius of the pupil, the 
unknown possibilities of his nature, to a weak and 
safe uniformity as the Turks whitewash the costly 
mosaics of ancient art which the Greeks left on 
their temple walls. Eather let us have men whose 
manhood is only the continuation of their boyhood, 
natural character still: such are able and fertile 
for heroic action ; and not that sad spectacle with 
which we are too familiar, educated eyes in un- 
educated bodies. 

*'I like boys, the masters of the playground and 
the street — boys who have the same liberal ticket 
of admission to all shops, factories, armouries, 



26 THE DALTON PLAN 

town-meetings, caucuses, mobs, target-shootings 
as flies have ; quite unsuspected, coming in as nat- 
urally as the janitor — known to have no money in 
their pockets, and themselves not suspecting the 
value of this poverty; putting nobody on his 
guard, but seeing the inside of the show — hearing 
all the sides. There are no secrets from them, 
they know everything that befalls in the fire com- 
pany, the merits of every engine and of every man 
at the brakes, how to work it, and are swift to 
try their hand on every part; so, too, the merits 
of every locomotive on the rails, and will coax 
the engineers to let them ride with him and pull 
the handles when it goes into the engine-house. 
They are there only for fun, and not knowing that 
they are at school, in the court-house, or the cattle 
show quite as much and more than they were, an 
hour ago, in the arithmetic class. 

*^They know truth from counterfeit as quick 
as the chemist does. They detect weakness in your 
eye and behaviour a week before you open your 
mouth, and have given you the benefit of their 
opinion quick as a wink. They make no mistakes, 
have no pedantry, but entire belief in experience." 

It is just that experience, individual and social, 
which the Dalton Laboratory Plan aspires to pro- 
vide within the school walls. The principles out- 
lined in Emerson's picturesque prose are its prin- 
ciples. It shows the way, and I firmly believe 
the only way, to make school as attractive, and as 
educative as play, and ultimately to create those 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 27 

fearless Imman beings which, understood in the 
widest sense, is our ideal. 

But as liberty is an integral part of that ideal 
I have carefully guarded against the temptation 
to make my plan a stereotyped cast-iron thing 
ready to fit any school anywhere. So long as the 
principle that animates it is preserved, it can be 
modified in practice in accordance with the circum- 
stances of the school and the judgment of the 
staff. For this reason I refrain from dogmatizing 
on what subjects should be included in the curric- 
ulum, or by what standards the achievement of 
pupils should be measured. Above all, I do not 
want to canalize the life-blood of citizenship. On 
this point I can but say that the curriculum of any 
school should vary according to the needs of the 
pupils, and even in schools where it is designed 
to serve a definite academic purpose, this aspect 
should not be lost sight of as it often is. Until 
the educational world wakes to the fact that 
curriculum is not the chief problem of society, we 
shall, I fear, continue to handicap our youth by 
viewing it through the wrong end of the tele- 
scope. 

To-day we think too much of curricula and too ' 
little about the boys and girls. The Dalton Plan 
is not a panacea for academic ailments. It is a 
plan through which the teacher can -get at the 
problem of child psychology and the pupil at the 
problem of learning. It diagnoses school situations 
in terms of boys and girls. Subject difficulties 



28 THE DALTON PLAN 

concern students, not teachers. The curriculnm is 
but our technique, a means to an end. The instru- 
ment to be played upon is the boy or girl. 

Under the conditions that exist in the average 
school the energies of these boys and girls cannot 
flow freely. The top-heavy organization has been 
built up for the instructor, and with it teachers are 
expected to solve their problems. But I contend 
that the real problem of education is not a 
teacher's but a pupil's problem. All the diffi- 
culties that harass the teacher are created by the 
unsolved difficulties of the pupils. When the latter 
disappear the former will vanish also, but not be- 
fore the school organization and its attendant 
machinery has been re-made for the pupil, who is 
rendered inefficient and irritable by being com- 
pelled to use a mechanism that is not his own. 

The first thing, therefore, is to remove all im- 
pediments that prevent the pupil from getting at 
his problem. Only he knows what his real diffi- 
culties are, and unless he becomes skilled in dis- 
persing them he will become skilled in concealing 
them. Hitherto our educational system has been 
content to tap the surface water of his energy. 
Now we must try to reach and release the deep 
well of his natural powers. In doing so we shall 
assist and encourage the expression of his life- 
force and harness it to the work of education. This 
is not to be achieved by doing the pupil's work for 
him, but by making it possible for him to do his 
own work. Harmony between teacher and pupil is 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 29 

essential if we would avoid those emotional con- 
flicts which are the most distracting among the ills 
the old t}^e of school is heir to. 

Experience of the Dalton Laboratory Plan 
ehows, moreover, that it is beneficial to the pupils 
morally as well as mentally. Where it is put into 
operation conflicts cease, disorder disappears. 
The resistance generated in the child by the old 
inelastic machinery to the process of learning is 
transformed into acquiescence, and then into 
interest and industry as soon as he is released to 
carry out the educational prograrome in his ovm. 
way. Freedom and responsbility together per- 
form the miracle. 

/ Briefly summarized, the aim of the Dalton Plan 
is a s^mthetic aim. It suggests a simple and eco- 
nomic way by means of which the school as a whole 
can function as a community. The conditions un- 
der which the pupils live and work are the chief 
factors of their enwonment, and a favourable 
environment is one which provides opportunities 
for spiritual as well as mental growth. It is the 
social experience accompanying the tasks, not 
the tasks themselves, which stimulates and fur- 
thers both these kinds of groA\i:h. Thus the 
Dalton Plan lays emphasis upon the importance 
of the child's living while he does his work, and 
the manner in which he acts as a member of so- 
ciety, rather than upon the subjects of his curri- 
culum. It is the sum total of these twin expe- 



30 THE DALTON PLAN 

riences which determines his character and his 
knowledge. 

As illustrating this line of thought I cannot do 
better than cite a passage from Miss Emily 
Wilson's book entitled An Experiment in Syn- 
thetic Education* It is a little book which con- 
tains a big message. 

''The main subjects of our curriculum must be 
taught synthetically — that is, in their relation to 
each other — and not in self-contained compart- 
ments. Only in the synthetic Avay, only by realiz- 
ing and constantly emphasizing that to know 
something of Man we must study and correlate his 
History, his environment, his Science, Literature 
and Art, can we make knowledge a living and 
fruitful organism rather than a dead and barren 
file. . . . 

"It is necessary to emphasize a fact not suffi- 
ciently appreciated; it is easier to learn at the 
same time two subjects that have living relation- 
ships with one another than to learn one subject 
which is represented as an isolated fact having 
no vital relationship with anything else. Pure 
memory work is difficult and a burden to the mind. 
The moment the annual examinations are over 
we forget, never to recall, those unrelated facts 
with which we crammed our youthful brains. But 
once a relation is established as between one sub- 
ject and another, both those subjects in so far as 

* Quotation made by permission of the publishers. 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 31 

they are alive, that is are related, are retained 
with perfect ease. . . . 

''That this consciousness of the inter-relation of 
all subjects cannot fail to bear good fruit in the 
field of ethics and religion will be obvious. For 
service and co-operation are what we need to solve 
our great political and social problems to-day, and 
synthetic education that will provide that large 
and comprehensive outlook which will make these 
virtues a habit of thought and a practice of life. 
Some such total vision must be constantly in the 
mind of the teacher, who must ever be on the look- 
out for inter-relations and so stir within the minds 
of the children the faculty of creating channels 
between the different territories; channels which 
will fertilize the whole earth between them and 
give that infinite joy which comes from the con- 
sciousness of creatorship, the true function of 
man, the work for which he was endowed with an 
immortal spirit." 

From the parent's point of view the principles 
of the Dalton Plan are admirably epitomized in a 
letter recently contributed to the New York Even- 
ing Post by the parent of two pupils attending the 
Children's University School. 

To the Editor of the Neiv York Evening Post: 

The Dalton Laboratory Plan is a decided 

novelty. Its adoption in England before we 

New Yorkers even heard about it shows how 



82 THE DALTON PLAN 

much more popular is the subject of education 
over there than here. 
J As a parent of two children I wish to urge 
a more widespread acquaintance with the 
methods worked out in the Dalton Plan. It 
diagnoses the child's dislike for his studies 
as not due to the studies themselves, but to 
the methods used in teaching him. It does not 
start out with the belief that the child has 
an innate dislike for study. It is the fault of 
the educational process to which he is forced 
to submit which embitters his young soul 
against any or all subjects indiscriminately. 
The Dalton Plan is not an arbitrary process 
imposed on the child without regard to his 
aptitude, but is an enlistment of the child's 
own interest in his acquisition of knowledge. 
The Dalton Plan elicits a new response from 
the child's nature by inviting him to under- 
take the job in a way that appeals to his nat- 
ural desire to learn things in his own way and 
even in his own time. The teacher gives him 
the same friendly help and encouragement to 
master his problems that one adult would 
give to another in the course of business or 
any undertaking of life, but the child is em- 
barked on an adventure into the realms of 
knowledge with his own standard flying at 
the peak and his own command of his re- 
sources. 
There is such a thing as culture. We treas- 



THE PLAN IN PRINCIPLE 83 

lire it as the embodiment of our civilization 
and we know that the stability of our social 
life depends upon the majority of our young 
people getting at least the elements of that 
culture. The Dalton Plan points a way to 
make the process natural and spontaneous 
rather than forced and arbitrary. It evokes 
in the child a spirit of self-reliance and ini- 
tiative and so starts his character building at 
once. Here is life experience for the little 
fellow. He studies on his own responsibility 
in the company of his fellows, all pursuing the 
same adventure. He forms the same kind of 
relationships in his school life that he will 
afterwards get in his business or professional 
life. He is learning by trying. He is not 
struggling under constant direction and re- 
straint. He is part of the real life of the 
world, sharing its problems, realizing the 
emptiness of idleness, and enjoying the re- 
wards of industry. There is nothing false 
or artificial in these relationships. But, most 
important of all, the Dalton Plan starts him 
out on this basis full ten or fifteen years ahead 
of the boy or girl who is now going through 
the treadmill of our day schools. 



CHAPTER III 

The Plan in Practice 

I COME now to a consideration of the Dalton 
Laboratory Plan in its practical application to the 
problem of education. Perhaps in order to clear 
the ground it is well to begin by indicating what 
it is not. 

The Dalton Laboratory Plan is not a system or 
a method, which through ages of use has petrified 
into a monotonous and uniform shape, to be 
branded on to succeeding generations of pupils 
as sheep are branded on going into a fold. It 
is not a curriculum, which, all too often, is simply 
the machine by means of which the brand is 
stamped upon the individuals caught in the 
meshes of the system. * Practically speaking, it is 
a scheme of educational reorganization which 
reconciles the twin activities of teaching and learn- 
ing. When intelligently applied it creates condi- 
tions which enable the teacher to teach and the 
learner to learn. 

In order to apply the scheme it is not necessary 
or even desirable to abolish classes or forms as 
units of organization in the school, nor the curri- 
culum as such. The Dalton Laboratory Plan pre- 

34 



I 



THE PLAN IN PRACTICE 35 

serves both. "^Eacli pupil is classified as a member 
of a form, and for each form a maximum and a 
minimum curriculum is drawn up. But at its 
inception it lays the whole work proposition be- 
fore the pupils in the shape of a contract job. The 
curriculum is divided up into jobs and the pupil 
accepts the work assigned for his class as a con- 
tract. Though dispensed with above middle school, 
the younger children may sign a definite contract 
which is returned to each individual as soon as 
his job is completed. 

'*I , pupil of standard form, contract 

to do the assignment. 

Date and signature ." 



As every month of the year has its own as- 
signed work, a contract-job for any one form com- 
prises a whole month's work. For convenience 
we arrange the different parts of the curriculum 
under the heading of major and minor subjects; 

Major Subjects. Minor Subjects. 

Mathematics Music 

History Art 

Science Handiwork 

English Domestic Science 

Geography Manual Training 
Foreign Languages, etc. Gymnastics, etc. 

The first category of subjects is 'not more im- 
portant than the other, but they are classified as 
* 'major" because they are used as the basis of 



36 THE DALTON PLAN 

promotion in most schools, and college entrance 
examinations thus necessitate that more time 
should be given to them. The value of the minor 
subjects lies in their expansive influence upon the 
student. The study of them creates a response 
to beauty and also an increased power of expres- 
sion. But if in the lower school, which includes 
children ranging from eight to twelve years, for- 
eign languages are not required as a basis for 
promotion, they should be classified as minor sub- 
jects for lower-school pupils. 

For the purpose of simplifying the initial appli- 
cation of the Dalton Laboratory Plan, I recom- 
mend that it should be applied firstly to major sub- 
jects alone. As the new scheme becomes familiar 
it can gradually be extended to the minor subjects. 
Take, for example, a school wherein the major sub- 
jects for Form II are Mathematics, Science, His- 
tory, Geography, English, and French. The first 
contract-job for a pupil belonging to that form 
would be a block of the year's curriculum compris- 
ing a month's work in each of these major sub- 
jects. In the United States we reckon a school 
month as twenty days. The contract would there- 
fore cover the ground divided as below : 

TWENTY DAYS 
Form II Conteact Job 

1 month 1 month 1 month 1 month 

of of of of 

Science Mathematics Geography History 



1 month 


1 month 


of 


of 


French 


English 



THE PLAN IN PRACTICE 37 

Tliis diagram represents a required standard 
of work for the performance of which each pupil 
in Form II would contract. Though the standard 
is the same, the pupils are not. As their mental 
legs must be of different lengths, their rate of 
speed in study must vary also. Some may not 
even need the twenty days for their contracted 
work ; others may not be able to get it done in that 
time. It is of the essence of the Dalton Labora- 
tory Plan that pupils should progress each 
at his own rate, for only so can the work be assimi- 
lated thoroughly. Thus each pupil must be al- 
lowed to organize his method of working as he 
thinks best. Unfortunately at the outset we can- 
not assume that these pupils know how to work, 
though as the new plan is put into operation they 
will gradually learn to organize both their time 
and work to better and better advantage. But 
efficiency means speed, and speed will only be at- 
tained when good habits of work are established. 
It takes time to counteract the habit of dependence 
bred in the pupil by constantly telling him what to 
do, when and how to do it. This system made 
him a servant, occasionally an efficient servant, 
but always dependent on orders. And though the 
reorganization of school machinery is quickly 
effected the response of the pupil to the changed 
conditions is not always as rapid. It is the busi- 
ness of the teacher to see that the adjustment pro- 
ceeds, however, slowly. The process can be helped 
by making the divided curriculum clear, and by 



38 THE DALTON PLAN 

seeing that the pupil grasps the whole scope and 
nature of the work he contracts to accomplish. 
Unless he understands what is required of him 
his organization of his time will be defective. 

By giving his task in the form of a contract for 
whose execution he feels himself responsible, we 
give the work dignity and him the conscious- 
ness of a definite purpose. This feeling is in- 
creased if we make him aware of our confidence 
in his desire and in his power to execute it. A 
pupil must not, however, be permitted to continue 
the study of any major subject beyond the limits 
of the month's assignment unless he has completed 
his contract in every subject. He must not be al- 
lowed to work up to a higher standard than his 
form average in one or two subjects and fall below 
it in the rest of them. This would merely give 
him an opportunity of evading progress in those 
studies in which he is weak and lose to him the 
value of correlated and vitalized subjects. Uni- 
formity of standard insures that he will so or- 
ganize his time that most of it will be devoted to 
overcome his individual weaknesses and difficul- 
ties. The plan teaches him to budget his time so 
that it is sufficient to his needs and to have him go 
slowly and thoroughly. In this way he will be 
iwell prepared for each succeeding step. His sub- 
ject diet will be well balanced and his culture will 
be well rounded. 

The amount of any monthly assignment is a 
part and a very vital part of the teacher's prob- 



THE PLAN IN PRACTICE 39 

lem. A good curriculum should be so balanced 
and co-related that neither too much nor too little 
is included in the contract- job. In the lower school 
not more should be required than the pupils can 
easily accomplish by a wise division of their time. 
That a ten-year-old child should learn all that a 
normal child of his age can learn is the ideal to 
set before us. A study of child psychology is nec- 
essary if we are to reorganize the machinery of 
education so that it corresponds to his powers and 
satisfies his needs at every age. 

Turning from the pupil to the school building, 
it is evident that the Dalton Laboratory Plan 
exacts the establishment of laboratories, one for 
each subject in the curriculum, though with a small 
teaching staff two subjects may be studied in a 
single laboratory. A specialist in that particular 
subject, or subjects, should be in charge of each 
laboratory whose relation to the scheme I will 
deal mth later on. For the moment I want to em- 
phasize the point that these laboratories are the 
places where the children experiment — where they 
are free to w^ork on their jobs, not places where 
they are experimented upon. 

The text-book library of the school must be dis- 
tributed among these laboratories according to 
subject. It is of course essential that the neces- 
sary books should be always accessible to every 
student — a supply of scientific books in the science 
laboratory, history books in the history labora- 
tory, and so on. With regard to these books, it 



40 THE DALTON PLAN 

is well to have a few standard text-books and to 
increase as far as possible the number of reference 
books. Do not be afraid of including in the school 
library books that are designed for adult readers, 
the kind of books which have hitherto been found 
rather on home, than on school, bookshelves. Re- 
member that no book can be too well written to 
interest a child. The dry terseness of the ordinary 
school manual, devoid of any literary quality, is 
responsible for half the distaste of learning so 
characteristic of the average school boy or girl. 
It is at school that our future men and women 
should become acquainted with those literary 
treasures which are the common heritage of 
humanity. And regarded merely as a mine of in- 
formation, nothing could be more valuable in the 
development of the pupil's intelligence than the 
opportunity thus given him of comparing the dif- 
ferent views of different authors on the subject he 
is studying. 

Among the impediments to true education which 
is ruthlessly abolished by the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan is the time-table. Even to the teacher the 
time-table is a bugbear. How often have I heard 
head masters and mistresses complain of the diffi- 
culty of dividing time so that no member of the 
teaching staff should feel his special subjects 
slighted! As a result the time-table is usually 
compiled rather in the interest of the instructors 
than of the pupils. To the latter the time-table 



THE PLAN IN PRACTICE 41 

is nothing less than a curse. Its banishment is in 
fact the first step towards his liberation. 

Let us assume that in a given school laboratory- 
time for all classes or forms extends from 9 to 
12 o'clock every morning. Under the Dalton Plan 
this three-hour period is devoted to the study of 
the major subjects — Geography, History, Mathe- 
matics, Science, English, and French. Before set- 
ting out to organize their time themselves each 
pupil consults his teacher, who, under the new 
plan, has become a subject specialist, or adviser. 
Together they go over the pupil's contract w^ork, 
classifying his subjects as strong and weak. 
Those subjects which a child loves and enjoys 
studying will usually be found among his strong 
subjects. The subjects he is weak in are almost 
invariably those which he finds dijEficult to under- 
stand and assimilate, chiefly because he has not 
hitherto been able to give enough time to them. 

For the sake of clarity I will take a concrete 
example. Mary Smith is a member of Form IL 
When, with the aid of her adviser, she has sorted 
out her subjects, we will suppose that they fall 
into the two following categories : 

Weak Subjects. Strong Subjects. 

Mathematics English 

French History 

Geography 

Science 



42 THE DALTON PLAN 

In relation to the three hours' laboratory time 
at her disposal we may express her individual 
needs by the following equation: 

Three Houes' Laboratory Time 

Mathematics-[-Freneh = Euglish-j-History-|-Geography-)-Science 
(Weak Subjects) (Strong Subjects) 

Having accepted her contract-job she must keep 
the whole job in mind, and being weak in French 
and Mathematics she needs to devote as much time 
to them as to her four strong subjects. But if the 
time-table were in force, Mary, despite her diffi- 
culties, would only be allowed as long for her 
Mathematics and French as the other pupils in 
Form II, many of whom might be strong in them. 
Can a more complete condemnation of the time- 
table be found than this simple demonstration of 
its working? 

Emancipated from its tyranny, Mary's equation 
will change as she eliminates antipathy to, or 
weakness in, those subjects. But as long as her 
problem can be expressed in the terms of the above 
equation, she should devote half of her three avail- 
able hours every day to Mathematics and French, 
and only the remaining half to the other four 
subjects. If she is stronger in French than in 
Mathematics then the one-and-one-half hours 
should be divided accordingly. 

Mary, will, however, be free to choose which 
subject she will take up first, and she will go into 
the laboratory consecrated to that subject. Hav- 
ing chosen it at the moment when her interest in 



THE PLAN IN PRACTICE 43 

it is keen, she will do better work and do it more 
quickly too. Once in the laboratory Mary pro- 
ceeds to study as an individual, but if she finds 
other members from Form II there she works with 
them. This is the rule of the laboratory under 
the Dalton Plan. It subdivides and reduces the 
large class group and it creates a small group of 
pupils doing intensive work, which stimulates dis- 
cussion and exercises social influence. The edu- 
cative value of such small groups is immense in 
giving an atmosphere to the laboratory, in pro- 
viding occasions for social adjustment and expe- 
rience. It provides invaluable play of mind upon 
mind. ^ As Mary has entered that laboratory vol- 
untarily, and can leave it for another when she 
feels inclined, no problems of discipline arise. 
Her mind comes in with her and goes out with her, 
disciplined by interest in the subject, harnessed — 
the whole of it — to her job. No time is wasted, 
for though the general time-table has gone Mary 
has, in consultation with her adviser, made a 
time-table for herself. This is very important, 
especially in the case of the younger children, in 
order to inculcate the value of time. To spend it 
in supplying our mental and moral needs is to put 
it to the wisest use. 

It is also essential to Mary that she should 
realize exactly w^hat progress she is making in the 
subject of her choice. For this purpose I invented 
the graph device before alluded to. As it merits 
a chapter to itself I will only now refer to it cas- 



44 THE DALTON PLAN 

ually as a part of the laboratory equipment and 
procedure. There are three sets of graphs. The 
first provides each special teacher and adviser 
with the means of following the individual prog- 
ress of each pupil, and of comparing it with that of 
the other members of the class. It also enables 
the pupil himself to compare his progress with 
that of his classmates. But Mary has also her own 
contract-job graph, on which she records her daily 
progress. The third graph pictures the progress 
of the class or form a whole, as well as the 
individual progress. 

So that the pupil should never lose sight of the 
job in its entirety, progress is measured in weeks 
of work accomplished. Mary has six major sub- 
jects with four weeks of work on each of them. 
Her contract thus entails twenty-four weeks of 
work. On the weekly graph she is therefore 
marked, not in each separate subject, but in the 
number of weeks' work done out of the total re- 
quired, week by week. 

In this manner a pupil advances steadily, job 
by job, through the curriculum of his class. If 
in a school year of nine or ten months he only 
finishes eight jobs on account of absence or illness, 
he begins the ninth job in the following year. The 
clever child may, on the contrary, accomplish in 
one year the work mapped out to cover eighteen 
months. Often the slow, apparently less intelli- 
gent, child gains in rapidity, and in any case he 
builds well and soundly at his own natural rate. 



CHAPTER IV 

Its Application — A Concrete Example 

The Dalton Laboratory Plan can loe applied to 
the reorganization of any school with the excep- 
tion of infant or primary schools designed for 
children under nine years of age. Above that 
limit we classify schools in the United States into 
lower, middle, and upper, but as I am writing 
mainly for British readers I shall use the terms 
''elementary" and ''secondary" in the English 
sense when alluding to English schools. In Amer- 
ica an elementary school is a lower school, ordi- 
narily consisting of fourth to eighth grades in- 
clusive, and may be private or public, that is, pay- 
ing or free. With us, public schools are invariably 
free schools supported out of public funds, not, as 
in the case of Eton and Harrow, open only to 
pupils whose parents are able to pay for their 
tuition. 

As a general rule the Dalton Plan is applied 
as an efficiency measure for the purpose of accom- 
plishing a programme of work already standard- 
ized for the different forms or grades. It is 
susceptible, however, of a much greater extension 
in the direction of our ideal in education, as some 

45 



46 THE DALTON PLAN 

day I hope it will be, by being applied to the or- 
ganization of a new venture instead of the re- 
organization of an old one. In this case it could be 
used for the carrying out of a freer curriculum 
composed entirely of projects set by the pupils 
themselves, and where the instructors would be 
regarded as consultant specialists. 

At the moment, however, I shall confine my ob- 
servations to its application as an efficiency meas- 
ure involving both academic and social re- 
organization. In this connection I must again in- 
sist upon the necessity of bearing always in mind 
that my plan or ''way" connotes not only a change 
of curriculum or method, but a change in the 
whole life and spirit of the school. This sociali- 
zatix)n of the school, as I call it, is as vital to the 
success of the experiment as is the liberation of 
the pupil. 

As a concrete illustration of my meaning I will 
describe the initiation of the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan in a lower school, dealing first with the 
academic aspect of the question. In this school 
there were one hundred and fifty children ranging 
in age from nine to thirteen. They were classified 
in five grades, fourth to eighth inclusive, with 
thirty pupils in each grade. This school was a 
free public school. Had it been private and pay- 
ing the classes would certainly have been smaller. 

These five grades occupied five rooms, each 
grade being in charge of a regular form, or grade 
teacher. Mathematics, History, Geography, Eng- 



ITS APPLICATION 47 

lish, and Science being considered the major sub- 
jects, or "tools of knowledge," were taught in 
each grade. They were the standardized funda- 
mentals and were, moreover, regarded as the basis 
of promotion. French, Music, Art, Gymnastics, 
Needlework, and Cooking "svere considered minor 
subjects, but after the adoption of the plan French 
became a major subject. Before that time the 
major subjects received daily attention in oral 
lessons, the minor ones several times a week, 
though music was in a way a daily task as the 
children usually inaugurated the school hours with 
singing. Practically the whole morning was given 
up to the first category of subjects, while the 
afternoon was reserved for the second. Subse- 
quently, music and art were put upon a laboratory 
basis, and full-time, instead of twice-weekly, 
instructors, were engaged to teach them. 

For some time the Dalton Laboratory Plan had 
been under discussion when one day the principal 
called the five form mistresses to a conference 
on the matter. These mistresses were just aver- 
age teachers, neither more nor less intelligent than 
the majority in their profession. Their observa- 
tions disclosed varying degrees of dissatisfaction 
with the working of the old system. Several of 
them agreed that its demand that each instructor 
should be an expert in the teaching of every sub- 
ject in the curriculum was inclined to make them 
jack-of -all-trades and masters of none. All of 
them testified to the constant, and often insuper- 



48 THE DALTON PLAN 

able, difficulty of arousing the interest of the pu- 
pils in their lessons. Much class-time was wasted 
in overcoming their disinclination to proceed with 
the scheduled business of the day. One teacher 
rather pathetically described her efforts to drama- 
tize the lesson in the hope of interesting the chil- 
dren. After searching the library to get up the 
subject she would often spend the night in pre- 
paring to present it in a thrilling and exciting 
manner. Her subject was history, and she related 
how she had once tried to win the attention of 
the children with a romantic account of the 
French-Indian war. But her only reward for all 
this expenditure of energy was an appeal from 
one of the children for information regarding the 
North Pole and Eskimos, suggested probably by 
the snow that was then falling outside the school 
windows ! 

Similar experiences were detailed by other 
teachers. The impossibility of adjusting the char- 
acter of the lesson and its length to pupils whose 
capacity for absorption varied from child to child, 
was also cited as a defect in the system by all the 
teachers in unison. It was usually too short for 
the alert pupil to whom the subject was easy, and 
who was consequently quick at the up-take. It 
was too long for the child whose mind had Jflown 
out of the window after something about which he 
was naturally enthusiastic, and far too long for 
the slow-minded pupil who needed much explana- 
tion and who grasped ideas slowly. Even those 



ITS APPLICATION 49 

among the teachers who considered themselves 
good disciplinarians acknowledged that, though 
able to control the bodies of their pupils, the soul 
almost invariably escaped their authority. 

A series of questions put by the principal elicited 
the fact that every one of the teachers had a fa- 
vourite subject which she would like to teach all 
the time, while several added that the effort to 
impart knowledge on a variety of subjects was 
totally disproportionate to the result achieved with 
their pupils. It is not surprising that under these 
circumstances all fivei mistresses received with 
relief and joy the announcement that the old un- 
satisfactory system was to be abandoned. They 
were then told that the school was to be reorgan- 
ized on the Dalton Laboratory Plan, under which 
each instructor would be able to devote all her 
energy to teaching her best subject and only that. 
Every one of the old grade rooms was henceforth 
to be converted into a laboratory where pupils 
belonging to all grades would come to study that 
one particular subject with the help of the teacher 
who adopted it. 

The next step was the rearrangement of school 
equipment preliminary to the initiation of the 
new plan. All the geographical apparatus books, 
maps, and globes were concentrated in one room, 
the surplus above what would in future be 
required demonstrating the superiority of the 
Dalton Plan from the point of view of economy. 
The same transportation was effected of all the 



50 THE DALTON PLAN 

tools pertaining to the study of the other subjects, 
and lastly the library was distributed among the 
laboratories upon the same principle. Already it 
was evident that the vitalizing process had begun. 
A new spirit seemed to prevail among the teachers 
which made them friends on a new plane instead 
of rivals. Each realized she would have, in future, 
a definite and sympathetic domain in which her in- 
terests would not clash with those of any of her 
colleagues. Of course there were some misgiv- 
ings; some half-expressed fears of failure when 
the great innovation should be put to the acid test 
of practice. What would happen, some of them 
wondered, if certain pupils known for their in- 
genuity in bringing the most promising schemes 
of teachers to naught should set out to wreck the 
new experiment ? But to all these doubts and an- 
ticipations of evil the principal opposed her cheer- 
ful optimism. She had faith in the miracle and 
declared it. Once in operation the resistance of 
the children would, she was convinced, fade like 
frost in June. ''Change the conditions," she re- 
peated, "and you change the pressure. Change 
the pressure and you will change the product." 
The fact that in this school the decision to adopt 
the Dalton Laboratory Plan was taken at the end 
of the term made the necessary time available to 
prepare both materially and psychologically. 
When the old classroom desks were re-grouped in 
the laboratories they were placed front to front, 
five together, to make tables for the use of the 



ITS APPLICATION 51 

separate grade groups. In order to facilitate 
adjustment to the new organization these latter 
were numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 to indicate the different 
grade groups that were to use them. Coloured 
cards corresponding to the numbers were chosen to 
designate the different grades, and also the indi- 
vidual graphs for the checking of progress. In 
the hall one hundred and fifty lockers were erected 
and numbered to serve as a receptacle where each 
pupil could keep the miscellaneous articles Avhich 
formerly accumulated in the classroom desk. 
Finally, the art mistress provided each of her col- 
leagues with a sign card that was fixed to the door 
of each laboratory to indicate the subject. Just 
outside a notice board was placed to carry grade 
assignments; inside there was a similar board 
destined for laboratory graphs. The conversion 
of a store-room into a staff-room — which till then, 
had been entirely lacking — with its own notice 
board completed the transformation scene. 

The following simple diagram wdll shovv^ what 
the transformation from one teacher with many 
subjects to .one teacher with one subject meant to 
the staff. 



Miss A 
Misa B 
Miss C 
Miss D 
Miss E 



4th Grade Math. 5 Gr. Math. 6 Gr. Math. 7 Gr. Math. 8 Gr. Math. 

" Erg. " Eng. " Eng. " Eng. " Eng. 

Hist. " Hist. " Hist. " Hist. " Hist. 

Geog. " Geog. " Geog. " Geog. " Geog. 
" Science " Sci. " Sci. " Sci. " Sci. 



With regard to the important question of as- 
signment the average capacity of each grade was 
carefully considered in order to determine the 



52 THE DALTON PLAN 

amount of work which ought to be required from 
the pupils of each of the five grades during a 
school month of twenty days. This investigation 
revealed the enormous amount of work which had 
been set, and made the teachers realize how ' ' over- 
padded" the assignments were. A process of cut- 
ting down was then resorted to. Departmental 
cuts were effected between departments by agree- 
ment, by crediting the pupils with a certain scale 
of work already fulfilled. Academic cuts reduced 
the amount of subject matter. When completed, 
these assignments were attached to coloured cards 
corresponding to the grade colours and hung on 
the notice boards outside the laboratories. Outside 
the history laboratory all the history assignments 
for the five grades were hung, and so on. On the 
notice boards inside the laboratories correspond- 
ingly coloured laboratory graphs were fixed for 
recording individual progress. 

A detailed exposition of the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan was given to each teacher for study during 
the holidays. When the pupils assembled at the 
beginning of the next term the principal gave them 
a simple explanation of the changes that had been 
made in the organization of their work, and 
showed them how the contract cards and graphs 
were to be used. They were told that the time- 
tables and the class-bell had been abolished ; that 
henceforward they were free to enter any labora- 
tory quietly without asking permission, and to 
work there on any subject as long as they desired. 



ITS APPLICATION 53 

The three hours, from 9 to 12, would now be con- 
sidered as their own time for the use of which 
they were individually responsible. It was to be 
budgeted according to the difficulties each subject 
presented to each pupil. It was explained that 
they would be checked academically according to 
their progress towards fulfillment of the con- 
tracted job, and socially according to the way in 
which they ''shouldered the job." At 12 o'clock 
the fourth grade were told to report to Miss A 
in the mathematic laboratory. She would then 
and thereafter once each week, give them an oral 
lesson in mathematics. Similarly, the fifth grade 
Avas to report to Miss B ; the sixth to Miss C ; the 
seventh to Miss D ; and the eighth to Miss E. This 
first assignment to oral lessons began for each 
grade with the subject specialist who acted also as 
the advisor for a particular grade or class. The 
social and ethical aspects of the Dalton Labora- 
tory Plan were not alluded to on that occasion. 
This side of the new method was first discussed 
with the parents and subsequently with the pupils 
themselves. 

Although somewhat confused about it all, the 
interest of the children in the new scheme was 
Immediately evident. In order to help its ini- 
tiation on that very first morning the principal 
assigned groups to the various laboratories. As 
there were thirty pupils in each grade, she as- 
signed six pupils from each grade, making thirty 
in all, to each of the subject laboratories for 



54 THE DALTON PLAN 

further instruction in the scheme from the mis- 
tress who was awaiting their arrival. 

On account of wliat happened in Miss D's lab- 
oratory may be taken as typical of the events of 
the morning in all the other laboratories. Each 
group was isolated together round the cluster of 
desks which had been set apart for each grade. The 
grade assignments from the outside notice boards 
were distributed among the groups, one pupil in 
each reading it quietly to the rest, while Miss D 
went from one to another offering suggestions and 
giving assistance. Notebooks were then distri- 
buted to each pupil, one for each subject, which 
were either to be left in the laboratory or kept 
in the locker. After the entire assignment had 
been read copies of it were distributed for the 
general use of each group with instructions to 
leave them in a portfolio upon the grade-tables 
or desks. The time had now come when they were 
told to start work and to communicate either with 
a member of their group or with their teacher in 
case they desired help. Without communication 
intimate discussion and play of mind upon mind 
would have been impossible. The laboratory 
would have become a mere study hall, not an inter- 
acting stimulating society. When any pupil had 
finished any portion of the first week's assignment 
he was told that he might leave that laboratory 
and go into any other he preferred after recording 
on his own and on the grade-graph the amount of 
work done. 



ITS APPLICATION 65 

Within twenty minutes the pupils had grasped 
the outline of the organization and had settled 
down to study. As each became absorbed in the 
subject the room grew almost silent, or as Miss D 
afterwards expressed it, ''one felt an atmosphere 
growing there of real, contented work." At in- 
tervals during the morning one pupil after another 
finished a piece of work and was asked by Miss D 
where he would then like to go. This question was 
only necessary that first morning in order to en- 
sure that the pupil had really decided what subject 
he would take up next, and also to give him ballast 
and encouragement. If wavering, he was asked 
to remain until he could come to a real decision. 
As pupils came into the laboratory from others. 
Miss D greeted them as one Avould greet a guest, 
for it is essential to remove any feeling of re- 
straint or embarrassment. Fortunately, the old 
nagging and driving on one hand and sullen re- 
sistance on the other had already vanished. 

At 12 'clock each grade reported, as arranged, 
to its assigned laboratory, where the mistress gave 
them an oral lesson lasting 45 minutes on some one 
subject, and handed them the weekly schedule of 
these lessons in which a different subject was to 
be treated each day. These lessons were now 
called ''conferences" because the entire class, who 
had been working in separate laboratories, indi- 
vidually or in small voluntary groups, now met 
to confer over the problems of their assignment. 
At these conferences they compared progress, 



56 THE DALTON PLAN 

brouglit up and discussed their special difficulties, 
and helped to solve the difficulties of their fellow- 
pupils. The greatest keenness was shown at these 
conferences; the discussions were genuine and 
really helpful to all concerned. Each conference 
was social because the school itself had been social- 
ized by the plan. 

The Subject Supervisors who paid weekly visits 
to the school showed an intense interest in the 
working of the new plan. It made it possible for 
a supervisor visiting the school at any time during 
the morning to see in her subject laboratory the 
study in full swing. By examining the assign- 
ments she could easily check subject content. In- 
stead of spending much of her time in advising 
teachers how to discipline and control their 
classes, the Dalton Plan enabled her to discuss and 
correlate the work in company w^ith other su- 
pervisors and the teachers. At the same time a 
single librarian could spend a few days each 
month in a single school and go from laboratory 
to laboratory to arrange for the care and the 
exchange of books. • 

Subsequent mornings, weeks, and months only 
served to confirm the success of the first trial of 
the new organization. And gradually under its in- 
fluence learning did indeed become as much a 
pleasure as play. 



CHAPTER V 

Assignments — How to Make Them 

It is not too much to say that the Dalton Labora- 
tory Plan hinges upon the assignment ; for on the 
degree of sldll and understanding with which it is 
compiled, the successful application of the new 
plan will largely depend. Its importance will be 
appreciated when we remember that the pupil can 
only reach a complete survey of the work expected 
of him through the medium of each separate as- 
sigment. Collectively considered, they represent 
an outline of the contract- job in all its parts. 

Though the adjustment of the work to be done 
to the capacity of the pupils has always consti- 
tuted the chief problem of a teacher, sufficient 
attention has not hitherto been devoted to it from 
the point of view of the individual pupil. All too 
frequently the preparation set has merely re- 
quired the study of a certain number of pages 
in a text-book or manual, and often this require- 
ment has been hurled at the pupil at the end of 
a class period after his attention- has already 
been claimed from another class by the pre-dis- 
missal gong. Under these circumstances it is no 
wonder that the child fails to grasp the exact 

67 



58 THE DALTON PLAN 

meaning of the hastily fixed assignment, and even 
its relation to the subject in hand. 

The first condition of a good assignment is that 
it shall be invariably written, not oral, clearly ex- 
pressed, and designed to show the pupil what it 
is leading up to. In drawing it up the teacher 
must get rid of the idea that she is preparing a 
plan for herself. What is needed is a plan to 
be used by the pupils as a guide in their attack 
upon the parts of their contract- job. A good as- 
signment represents a block of the whole job com- 
piled from the standpoint of the pupil himself. 

Few children at any age know instinctively how 
to work. As the object of the Dalton Plan is pri- 
marily to teach them this, the instructor should 
be careful at the outset not to demand too much. 
Versatility, resourcefulness, and general efficiency 
will be better developed if the whole contract is 
proportionate to the mental power of the average 
child. On no account should it surpass his ca- 
pacity to grasp it as a whole. He must be able to 
take it in before he can measure his time wisely 
and set himself to its consistent accomplishment. 
Only the job which he feels to be within his reach 
will stimulate the growth of his interest, and ulti- 
mately of his creative powers. 

In cases where experience has revealed a 
marked disparity of intelligence between the 
pupils of the same age and form, it is sometimes 
well to modify the assignment in order to bring 
it within the reach of, say, three different cate- 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 59 

gories. The minimum assignment will merely re- 
quire the essentials for a form foundation, and its 
execution should not put too great a strain upon 
the least gifted pupils in the class. The medium 
assignment would be given to the next group of 
moderately intelligent children, while the maxi- 
mum assignment would be reserved for the star 
pupils. As any individual gained ground or de- 
veloped intellectually, which is a common phe- 
nomenon after the Dalton Plan has been in opera- 
tion for some time, he could be moved from the 
minimum to the maximum group. But it should 
never be forgotten that uniformity is not at all 
synonymous with progress. 

At the start one month's contract will give the 
student a sufficient perspective, and even this 
should be divided up into weekly allotments, so 
that the pupil should be able to mark his own prog- 
ress, step by step, as he goes on. In so doing he 
will ^ain the satisfaction of so much accomplished 
with encouragement to fresh efforts. But to this 
end an assignment must be compiled like a sylla- 
bus, indicating not only the ground to be covered, 
but containing helpful suggestions and lists of 
definite questions to be answered. 

These helpful suggestions, or, as I prefer to 
call them, "interest pockets," should be a vital 
feature of the assignment. Here .the teacher's 
knowledge of the psychology of each pupil comes 
into play. She must, in framing her assignment, 
take into consideration the special needs and 



60 THE DALTON PLAN 

tastes of every child in lier class. This is neces- 
isary in order to create "interest pockets." In- 
stead of wording the assignments peremptorily 
as, for example, ' ' read such and such a reference, ' ' 
the pupil's interest will be aroused if it is 
worded "you will find such and such references 
helpful." Such phrasing catches the child's at- 
tention and thus these "interest pockets" give 
life to the assignment. The assignments must not 
tell too much but should stimulate research. 

So constructed an assignment can almost be 
made to serve as an assistant teacher. It is well 
to indicate points where consultations with the 
instructor is advisable, as, for instance, to a 
mathematic assignment the words "After you 
have finished the required problems come to me 
and I will explain the next rule before you go on'* 
might be added. A pupil will appreciate any sug- 
gestion designed to facilitate his progress. We 
must not do the work for him, but it is necessary 
to provide inspiration for his efforts and occa- 
sional help over a difficult bit of the road. The 
ideal to be attained is to make him feel the interest 
taken by the teacher in his progress without ren- 
dering him dependent upon her. The introduction 
of such "interest pockets" into assignments will 
go a long ways towards the achievement of this 
relationship. 

But this relationship between teacher and pupil 
should not be limited to one class or grade. It 
is just as necessary that sympathy and interaction 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 61 

should exist between tlie teachers as between the 
pupils in the school. Without it that inter-relation 
of subjects in the making up of the assignment 
cannot be achieved. In all schools a tendency ex- 
ists on the part of each teacher to think his spe- 
cial subject of supreme importance in the curric- 
ulum. In her desire to do justice to it she is apt 
to encroach upon the time which ought to be de- 
voted to other subjects. A satisfactory adjust- 
ment of all subjects in an assignment can only be 
made if all the teachers are ready to pool their 
collective knowledge of the psychology of the 
pupil, and their collective observation of the in- 
terests and capacity of each child. For this pur- 
pose the proposed assignments should be posted 
up for the benefit and discussion of the staff at 
least one week before they are exhibited on the 
notice boards to the pupils. In this way the 
teachers will be able to collaborate intelligently in 
adjusting and cutting down the amount of work set 
in each subject. Assignments thus become a prob- 
lem to be shared and solved by the entire staff to- 
gether. 

For the welfare of the school as a whole it is es- 
sential that the complete scheme of work should 
be regarded as a synthesis. An examination of the 
assignment content will reveal how the work in 
each subject should be correlated. . If, for ex- 
ample, a particularly interesting theme is assigned 
as a problem in science or in history, the English 
teacher should find in it good material for an es- 



62 THE DALTON PLAN 

say, a debate, or for an oral conference. It is 
the province of the principal to emphasize that the 
importance given to the special subjects of each 
teacher in the assignment will depend upon a new 
presentation of that subject to the other instruc- 
tors and upon the degree in which she secures 
their co-operation in its development. 

This side of the assignment question is so vital 
that I will elaborate it by a concrete illustration. 
Take, for instance, the subject of art. The art 
department belongs to the whole school, not only 
to the art teacher, who simply assumes that re- 
sponsibility for the whole staff. If art is merely 
work done in the studio, to be seen at the time 
of the annual exhibition, it is a dead thing. It 
can only be made a living influence if it permeates 
and serves every department. In order to do this 
the art teacher must secure the interest of her 
colleagues as well as of her pupils in the subject. 
To appeal to the latter to devote a large propor- 
tion of their time to any special subject on the 
grounds of its superior value is merely a waste 
of time. Better results will be attained if each 
instructor realizes that she must fit the subject 
into the general scheme, making it serve the needs 
of the whole, and getting her fellow teachers to 
ally their subjects with hers. Nor must it be for- 
gotten that it is the teachers, not the pupils, who 
are responsible for changes made in the curricu- 
lum, and for the correlation of subjects in their 
assignments. The change in the attitude and ap- 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 63 

preciation of the pupils is the measure of their 
success. 

The manner in which we have tackled the ques- 
tion in the Children's University School is worth 
quoting in this connection. There the geography 
teacher requires as a geography problem special 
notebooks which are made in the art laboratory. 
Note books are not the ultimate end of art, but the 
artistic note book is a means which elicits the ap- 
preciation of the geography teachers and extends 
the province of art. Supposing that the director 
of this department is working on an item of 
household decoration, she sends her pupils to the 
handwork room to do the necessary manual part 
of the job. When completed this manual work is 
brought back to the studio. The influence of such 
collaboration is valuable in unifying the aims of 
all the departments involved. But such correla- 
tion is only possible after an understanding has 
been reached between the heads of all depart- 
ments. When the art instructor knows what work 
is assigned in geography and in other subjects, 
she can assign her problems in the art of the same 
period. She may begin through the medium of a 
notebook, but by making it beautiful the period 
becomes illuminated in the minds of the children, 
and so art gradually takes its place as a factor 
in their lives. Again, if the planetary system is 
under discussion in geography, the mathematics 
teacher can use it to illuminate problems in mathe- 
matics and algebra, while the art instructor calls 



64 THE DALTON PLAN 

attention to the beautiful celestial maps to be seen 
in the museums of the city. In principle there is 
beauty in every utilitarian thing. At the Chil- 
dren's University School the art and the music 
teachers have made their subjects so serve the 
needs of the others that art and music have pene- 
trated as a living force into every laboratory. 
Consequently, art and music are recognized as 
equal in importance to every other subject studied, 
and an equal proportion of time is given to them. 
We have found that beauty vitalizes every study 
into which it is imported. 

Each class or form adviser should, therefore, 
be furnished with copies of all the subject assign- 
ments used by her form, so that she may envisage 
the whole work concretely in advising each pupil 
on the best method of attacking his own allotment. 
With regard to those allotments it may not be 
found necessary in the case of older students, in 
university or in the last two years of a secondary 
school, to subdivide the monthly into weekly as- 
signments. I suggest, however, that at the ini- 
tiation of the Dalton Laboratory Plan it is advis- 
able to give all pupils, regardless of age, the assist- 
ance of weekly divisions of work. Pupils who are 
accustomed to have all their work presented to 
them in the form of pre-digested oral lessons will 
find it very difficult at first to think in terms of the 
whole contract-job. The established habit of 
studying from day to day, living intellectually 
from hand to mouth cannot easily be discarded. 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 65 

To concentrate instead on the organization of 
their work and the planning of their time demands 
an effort and perseverance in the effort. They 
will gradually learn to say themselves: "Where 
am I weak, and what must I do to perfect myself 
in this or that subject?" instead of "How much 
of this task must I do in order to escape reproof?" 
The change implies an entire change of attitude 
towards the work, and often towards the teacher. 
Pupils whose object is to do as little work as pos- 
sible are extraordinarily quick in diagnosing the 
psychology of the different teachers. They know 
instinctively exactly what each teacher will exact 
and which are more easily satisfied. But thinking 
of the work in terms of Miss A or Miss B is, of 
course, fatal to the progress of the pupil in any 
direction. Morally speaking, it constitutes a 
grave danger, for it tempts the conscientious 
teacher to drive the pupil, and the more she sets 
herself to feed him with knowledge the less will 
he be inclined to assimilate it through his own 
effort. The more she teaches the less, in fact, will 
he learn. 

In composing assignments, different subjects 
should of course be differently treated. Certain 
points should, however, always be emphasized ir- 
respective of subject. If we want the pupil to dig 
and mine for himself we must give him the neces- 
sary tools for the operation. Teachers must guard 
against organizing their part of the ten or less 
different assignments in ten different ways, for 



66 THE DALTON PLAN 

the pupil cannot be expected to envisage his job as 
a whole unless all the parts are so correlated that 
it appears to him as really one problem. Lack of 
collaboration between the ten different teachers 
in the production of a consistent assignment 
scheme will be as deleterious to the child's mind 
and energy as if ten contractors were to work 
on a building without regard for the architect's 
design. Design is as essential to the construction 
of an assignment as it is to the construction of a 
house. 

The following outline, which suggests types of 
things that ought to be included in an assignment, 
may prove useful, either in the case of monthly 
assignments with weekly subdivisions for young 
children, or without weekly subdivisions when the 
pupils are older and more advanced. 

SUBJECT 
(Grade or Form) (No. of Contract Assignment) 

Points to be kept in mind 
Preface to the Month's work. 

1st Week 

1. Topic 

2. Problems 

3. Written Work 

4. Memory Work 

5. Conferences or Oral Lessons 

6. References 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 67 

7. Equivalents (in days of work) 

8. Bulletin Study 

9. Departmental Cuts. 

For the second, third, and fourth weeks some or 
all of these points may be included. In any case 
all should be kept in mind, for each subdivision 
must be a definite unit in itself as well as a part 
of the whole month's assignment. A settled pro- 
cedure with, as far as possible, uniformity of head- 
ings, etc., is desirable. The number of the con- 
tract assignments is, or- course, determined by the 
number of months in the school year ; for example : 

Form Subject Contract Assignment 

II Geography 3 

These points will bear some elaboration for the 
benefit of inexperienced teachers. 

Preface. This should be a simple statement con- 
sisting of a few sentences designed to intro- 
duce the assignment of work. Above all, the 
preface should be an ''interest pocket." 

Topic. By this term I mean phases or aspects of 
a general subject. Supposing the subject to 
be geography, the topic might be ''China," 
"Petroleum," or "The Peace Conference." 
To young children a topic should always be 
given. It will furnish a central idea to be 
developed. 



68 THE DALTON PLAN 

Problems. This word includes a variety of things. 
We can set problems in the form of maps to 
be drawn; measurements to be approximated; 
routes to be traced ; or pictures to be studied 
when a definite object is to be accomplished or 
a particular reaction is to be stimulated. 
Problems may also include examples or 
theorems to be worked out; translations; 
transpositions or themes in music ; a stencilled 
design or a block-print in art ; experiments in 
science ; or a set drill when given to fix a point 
or to illustrate a rule. 

Written Work. Under this heading all the written 
work required should be listed with dates 
when it is to be handed in. This applies to 
work written either in notebooks or otherwise. 

Memory Work. This heading covers poetry to be 
learnt by heart; rules or tables; verbs or 
songs ; theorems, treaties, preambles, etc. 

Conferences. Here the date on which particular 
subjects are to be discussed at the oral lesson 
should be indicated so that the pupils may 
prepare for such discussions on their own 
responsibility and have their exliibits, etc., 
ready. 

References. Under this heading the names and, 
if the assignment is long, the pages of all ref- 
erence books or magazine articles should be 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 69 

given with directions showing where such 
books are to be found. 

Equivalents. Here it is essential to show a pupil 
how to record his progress on his own con- 
tract graph, for it is a picture of his accom- 
plishment and a compass which enables him 
to discover and satisfy his needs. His graph 
should be taken from laboratory to laboratory 
and to all class conferences. It is his ticket of 
admission and should be accurately marked, 
daily as he goes on. It is the psychological 
picture of his job. Except on rare occasions 
he does not do all the month's or even all the 
week's work at a sitting. Thus, if in any one 
week's assignment grammar, translation, and 
oral work are required, say, in a foreign lan- 
guage, a time equivalent should be stated. 
Grammar, for instance, might count as two 
days' or units of work, translation as two 
days' work, and oral reading as one day's 
work. In a montlily assignment, when the 
subject is English, his review of the book in 
question might count as — reading, one week's 
work, and the written part as three weeks' 
work. 

Bulletin Study. This point should be marked 
whenever the laboratory bulletin board dis- 
plays maps or pictures which are to be studied 
in connection with a special phase of any sub- 



70 THE DALTON PLAN 

ject, or when pupils are expected to add to the 
collection displayed. 

Departmental Cuts. As I have already dealt with 
this matter it suffices to repeat here that work 
requirements are departmentally cut when 
credit is given for work done in any subject 
as if it were done in another correlated sub- 
ject. If, for instance, a paper in science is 
written in sufficiently good English to be 
accepted as work done in English composition, 
the amount of the contract- job is department- 
ally cut down in proportion. Whenever work 
is credited it should always be stated as such 
in the assignment. 

The headings of Problems, Written Work, and 
Memory Work represent points which are very 
closely related. The problem may sometimes 
actually be memory work, while at other times the 
memory work may be supplementary to the real 
problem. In English a written book review may 
be the problem set, whereas in science the problem 
set may be an experiment of which the written 
description is supplementary. If the written work 
is required, not as a problem but to record a 
problem, this should be stated under the heading 
of ''Written Work." 

But the main and most important point to keep 
in mind in composing an assignment is that it must 
clearly demonstrate to the pupil what his job 
really is. He must be told distinctly what is ex- 



ASSIGNMENTS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 71 

pected of him, and the difficulties he is likely to 
meet in the execution of it must be indicated. I 
hope the training schools of the future may pre- 
pare expert specialists to whom all this will be 
plain. To succeed in producing really valuable 
instructors for our schools, consideration must be 
given to the cultural background and the cultural 
needs of the teachers. Sufficient training in psy- 
chology to enable teachers to understand the 
child's nature, its mental processes and their de- 
velopment, should also be a vital part of their 
equipment. In the case of specialists, facilities 
for intensive training covering the entire field in 
one subject must also be provided. 

To the teacher who appreciates the character 
and the needs of girls and boys, and who makes of 
the human material in her charge her primary 
study, the reorganization of school life on the Dal- 
ton Laboratory Plan will present no difficulty. 
Nor if she knows her subject thoroughly will she 
be inclined to limit it to purely local aspects. In 
the United States to-day history is taught far too 
generally from the mere national point of view. 
Frequently pupils are given an unconscious im- 
pression that *'the world began" in the American 
year 1776! This may be considered patriotic by 
some, but the narrowing influence of such teaching 
upon the pupil is evident. Only by -learning his- 
tory as world history, and all subjects on the basis 
of the universe, can the child grow into a complete 
man or woman as well as a good citizen. 



CHAPTER VI 

Sample Assignments 

On the principle that example is better than pre- 
cept I am devoting this chapter to a collection of 
sample assignments. In order to illustrate the 
application of the points to be kept in mind in 
their composition I begin by quoting two examples 
of one Science Assignment for eighth grade pupils. 
The first is, I consider, inadequate because it fails 
to give sufficient detail or direction to the child in 
the execution of his job. In the second example 
as you will see this fault is corrected. Its preface 
contains the necessary ''interest pocket," the true 
equivalents are clearly stated ; the whole is calcu- 
lated so as to provide a perspective of the entire 
contract and to stimulate interaction and discus- 
sion among the voluntary class-groups in the 
laboratory. 

I may call attention here to the fact that assign- 
ments are not split up into definite daily require- 
ments. To do so would rob the pupil of interest 
and of the necessary freedom in organizing his 
time according to the needs of his work. 

72 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 73 



ASSIGNMENT A 

(Inadequate Version) 
Grade VIII SCIENCE 5th Contract Assignment 

1st Week 
Motion and Foece. 

First, I want you to learn Sir Isaac Newton's 
Three Laws of Motion. These you will find in 
Section I, Chapter III, in Higgins. Study this sec- 
tion very carefully, do the experiment on page 47, 
find out all you can about Sir Isaac Newton in an 
encyclopedia, and then write the answers to the 
questions on page 49 in your notebooks. (Three 
days' work.) 

In continuing your work you will find out some 
of the effects of Newton's Laws. Read what is 
said about this in Higgins, pp. 50-54, as far as 
paragraph 64. There are six experiments to be 
done, and be sure that you know what is meant by 
inertia, momentum, centre of gravity, base and 
equilibrium. (Two days' work.) 

2nd Week 

This week we shall continue to study the effects 
of Newton's Laws. Study Higgins, pp. 54-60. 
There are seven experiments to do, and I want 
you to write the results of these in your notebooks. 
(Two days' work.) 

Write the answers to the questions on pp. 59-60. 
(Two days' work.) 



74 THE DALTON PLAN 

Work and Machines. 

Study very carefully pp. 60-66 in Higgins. 
(One day's work.) 

3rd Week 

Work and Machines (continued). 

Turn to p. 173 in Caldwell and Eikenberry and 
think over the answers to the questions, and then 
come and discuss them with me. (One day's 
work.) 

On p. 176 in C. and E. there are six illustrations 
showing different types of levers. Write in your 
notebook which class of levers each one of these 
articles illustrates. (One day's work.) 

In Cummings, Nature Study, on 11. 231-232-233 
there are some experiments with pulleys that I 
want you to do. All the questions are to be writ- 
ten in your notebook. (Experiments equal one 
day's work and the questions count as two days' 
work.) 

4th Week 

Work and Machines (continued). 

With a series of four pulleys I want you to 
arrange the most efficient combination you can for 
raising a heavy weight. (One day's work.) 

Eead Chapter XV in C. and E. (Two days' 
work.) 

Answer the questions of p. 66 in Higgins (to be 
written: one day's work). 

With the meccano set construct a model of a 
machine such as a Travelling Jib Crane — 24, p. 10 
in Manual of Instructions. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 75 



ASSIGNMENT A 

(Amended Version) 
Grade VIII SCIENCE 5th Contract Assignment 

1st Week 
Motion and Fokce. 

1. Will an automobile start without an explo- 
sion of the gasoline 1 What makes a screw go into 
wood? Why do we oil our bicycles'? Why do we 
use pulleys? Have you never wondered about 
these things ? Daily we notice things that happen 
all about us, but seldom do we stop to consider 
how they happen! 

This month we are going to learn something 
about these common everyday happenings which 
are explained by certain fundamental laws in 
physics. We are going to consider some of the 
common types of machines and discover how they 
are able to accomplish the work that they do. In 
order to have a good understanding of machines 
it is important that we know something about 
motion and force. Therefore, in starting our work 
for the month we shall consider motion and force 
first. 

Newton's Thkee Laws of Motion and theib 
Effects. 

You will find it helpful to learn these three laws 
first and then proceed with the following experi- 
ments. (See reference No. 1.) 



76 THE DALTON PLAN 

Experiment 1. A change of motion follows the 

DIRECTION OF THE FORCE WHICH CAUSES IT, AND 
IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE AMOUNT OF FORCE USED 
AND THE TIME DURING WHICH IT ACTS. 

Directions. Suspend a small ball on a long 
string. Snap it at the sanje instant with one 
finger of each hand in directions that are at 
right angles to each other. Observe the direction 
in which the ball moves. 

Before undertaking the following experiments 
which have to do with the effects of Newton's 
Laws it is necessary to have some understanding 
of these effects. (See reference 2, and then verify 
your reading with the following experiments.) 

Experiment 2. Inertia. 

Directions. Balance a visiting card on the end 
of your finger and place a coin upon it directly 
above the finger tip. With the other hand sud- 
denly snap the card away edgewise. Why doesn't 
the coin move off with the card? 

Experiment 3. Momentum. 

Directions. Using the same ball, roll it twice 
over the same surface, once slowly and once with 
speed. Note the distance that it travels. 

Now take two balls, one much heavier than the 
other, roll them over the surface, starting them 
at the same speed. Note the distances travelled. 

Experiment 4. Centre of Gravity. 

Directions. Try to balance a ruler on your 
finger. Where is the centre of mass of the ruler? 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 77 

Compare the quantity of matter on both sides of 
this point. How do you think the action of gravity 
upon one side of this spot compares with that upon 
the other? Where is the centre of gravity of the 
ruler? Now hang unequal weights on the ruler 
and find the centre of gravity of the whole. 

Find the centre of gravity on your ruler by 
balancing and mark the point. Now place the 
ruler on a table, push it over the edge little by 
little, and note the position of its centre of gravity 
just before it falls. 

Wbitten Wobk 
Questions. (See references 1 and 2.) 

1. State Newton's three laws of motion. Tell 
all that you know about Newton. (See refer- 
ence 3.) 

2. Give any examples of bodies that seem to 
set themselves in motion, and tell what outside 
force moves them. Why do we not find on earth 
any examples of constant motion without force 
being applied? 

3. If two equal forces act upon a body in 
opposite directions, what would be the result? If 
the forces were unequal what would be the result? 

4. What is meant by reaction? Could there be 
any reaction if there were no action? Is there 
ever any action without reaction? 

5. Give examples of reaction. -Explain some 
of its uses. Show how a screw propeller moves a 
boat. 

6. If you strike a wall with your fist you feel 



78 THE DALTON PLAN 

pain. Why does it not give equal pain if you 
strike a pillow with your fist? 

References 

1. Higgins — First Science Book, Chapter III, 
Section 1. 

2. Higgins — First Science Book, pp. 50-54. 

3. To find out about Sir Isaac Newton see the 
American Educator or some encyclopedia. Some 
of you may also be interested in consulting our 
new magazine editions of The Outlines of Science 
by Prof. J. Arthur Thomson. These have just 
arrived from England. 

Equivalents 

Experiments will count as two days' work; 
written work will count as one day's work; ref- 
erences will count as two days' work. 

2nd Week 

Some More Effects of Newton's Laws. 

Our business for this week has to do with other 
effects of Newton's Laws. You will consider these 
in the following order: Stability, Centrifugal 
Force, Law of Falling Bodies, and the Pendulum. 
Before doing the experiments which will make 
these things clear to you it will be helpful to con- 
sult the reference. 

ExPEEiMENT 1. Stability. 

Directions. Stand your pencil on its end ; then 
lay it on its side. In which position has it the 
broader base? In which is it the more stable? 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 79 

Pile up three books and test the stability of the 
pile. Then add as many more books as you can, 
and test that. Which pile is the more stable? 
Why? 

Try to balance your ruler, first on its side and 
then on its end. Which is easier, and why? 

Experiment 2. Centrifugal, Force. 

Directions. Tie a string to a small wooden ball 
and swing it rapidly about the hand in a circle. Do 
you have to use force to hold it? Why? Suddenly 
let the ball go free and note its motion. What 
direction does it tend to take ? Try the same thing 
with a very short string and a very long one, and 
explain the difference. Note that the two forces 
exactly balance each other; for while one acts to- 
ward and the other away from the centre, the ball 
moves no nearer and no farther from the centre 
than the length of the string allows. As soon as 
you let go both forces cease to act and the ball 
obeys the first law of motion. 

Experiment 3. Falling Bodies. 

Directions. Drop two balls of exactly the same 
size, one of wood and the other of lead, exactly 
together from the same height, and note carefully 
whether they strike together or not. Repeat this 
several times to be sure that the results that you 
obtain are accurate. 

Compare these with the fall of a sheet of paper. 

Experiment 4. The Pendulum. 

Directions. Make two pendulums of the same 
length, using a wooden ball and a lead ball. Start 



80 THE DALTON PLAN 

them swinging exactly together and compare the 
rates of their vibrations, that is, the number of 
swings made by each in a certain period of time. 
What effect has the weight of the ball upon the 
vibration rate of the pendulum? 

Swing a pendulum through a small arc and 
count its vibrations for 15 seconds. Now swing the 
same pendulum through a much greater arc and 
count its vibrations for 15 seconds. What effect 
has the length of the arc upon the rate of vibra- 
tion? (The length of the arc makes a slight dif- 
ference in rate if one arc is much greater than 
the other, and none at all if both arcs are small.) 

Make a pendulum 4 inches long, and another 16 
inches long, and compare their rates of vibration. 
How much longer is the second than the first? 
Which vibrates the faster? What thing do you 
find to make a marked difference in the vibration 
rate of the pendulum ? 

Written Work 
Questions. 

1. What is inertia? State examples. Why can 
you not start a bicycle at once at your greatest 
speed? 

2. What is momentum? Upon what two fac- 
tors does it depend? How is it generally 
measured? 

3. A rifle ball weighing half an ounce moves at 
the rate of one thousand feet a second, while a 
forty-pound cannon ball moves at a rate of one 
foot per second. Which has the greater momen- 
tum? 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 81 

4. Why does a woodcutter sometimes fasten 
his axe in a stick and then invert it, striking the 
block with the stick uppermost? 

5. Why can you not stand an egg on its end? 
If there were a hole straight through the earth's 
centre from surface to surface, how far into it 
would a falling body go? 

6. Under what conditions will a body be sup- 
ported from falling? 

7. Upon what does the stability of a body 
depend, and how? Why is it hard to walk upon 
stilts? 

8. Explain the cause of centrifugal force. 
State examples of it. Why do you lean in turn- 
ing a corner? Why is the inside rail of a track 
placed lower? 

9. How far will a body fall in one second? In 
two seconds? Why does a body constantly 
increase its speed as it falls ? Why is more dam- 
age done by a longer fall as a rule ? 

10. Describe a pendulum. What force causes 
it to swing downward? Why does it then swing 
upward? If no force but gravity opposed its up- 
ward swing, how far would it go as compared with 
its downward swing? 

References 
Millikan and Gale — Practical Physics, pp. 81-87. 

Equivalents 

The reference will count as one day's work. 
The experiments will count as two days' work. 
The written work will count as two days ' work. 



82 THE DALTON PLAN 

3rd Week 

WoBK AND Machines. 

What is work? What is gained by using levers, 
pulleys, wedges, inclined planes, etc.? These 
things are all simple machines, and our task for 
this week is to discover the answers to these ques- 
tions. Before going on with the experiments you 
will find it helpful to consult the first reference. 

Experiment 1. Pulleys. 

Fasten a pulley to some convenient support, and 
pass over it a cord having a giveh .weight fastened 
to one end of it, and a spring balance to the other. 
Compare the weight with the force measured by 
the spring balance in raising it. 

Experiment 2. Pulleys. 

Attach a weight to a movable pulley and note 
the amount of power required to sustain it. 

Experiment 3. Pulleys. 

Arrange one fixed and two movable pulleys 
supporting a weight, and note the amount of 
power required to sustain it. What advantage is 
gained by the use of the fixed pulley? What part 
of the weight does each section of the string 
support ? 

Written Work 
Questions. 

1. In the case of one movable pulley what part 
of the weight is supported by the spring balance? 
By the hook? 

2. In the case of one movable pulley in what 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 83 

direction does the power act, and how could this 
direction be changed by using a fixed pulley? 

3. When one movable pulley is used through, 
how much space must the power pass in raising 
the weight one foot? When one fixed pulley is 
used! 

4. When you have one fixed and two movable 
pulleys what portion of the weight is supported 
by the fixed pulley? By the balance? 

5. In the case of 4, how far must the power 
move to raise the weight one foot? What is 
gained by using two movable pulleys? What is 
lost? How do the loss and gain compare? 

6. If another fixed pulley were added in the 
case of 4, what would be the effect? If another 
movable pulley were added, what would be the 
effect? 

7. Upon what does the power gained in using 
a block and tackle depend? State a rule for com- 
puting it. 

References 

Higgins — First Science Book, pp. 60-66. 

Equivalents 

The references will count as one day's work 
each (two days) ; the experiments will count as 
one day's work ; the written work will count as two 
days ' work. 

4th Week 

Work and Machines — continued. ' 

Problem. I think that now you will find it 
interesting to see the application of some of the 



84 THE DALTON PLAN 

machines and principles in a machine of your own. 
Accordingly, I want you to construct a model of 
a Travelling Jib Crane, with the Meccano set. In 
operating it you will notice how the lever and 
pulleys are combined to good advantage. 

Written Work 
Questions, 

1. What is work, how is it measured, and what 
is the unit of work I 

2. What is meant by power? What is the unit 
of the rate of doing work? How much is one foot 
pound? 

3. What is a machine ? Can a machine do work 
of itself? 

4. What in general is the use of machines to 
man? 

5. State the law of machines and show how a 
lever applies this law. 

6. Why do tailor's shears have long blades and 
short handles, while plumber's shears have short 
blades and long handles? 

7. Why does a bicycle of high gear run harder 
than one of low gear? 

8. State the advantage given by a lever of the 
second class ; of the third class. 

9. Name some familiar uses of the screw. 

10. Explain the use of gear wheels in 
machinery. 

Conference 

You will report to me for a conference after you 
have read the following reference on ' ' Some Com- 
mon Types of Work." 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 85 

References 

Caldwell and Eikenberry — General Science, 
Chapter XV. 

Equivalents 

The problem will count as two days ' work ; the 
written work will count as one day's work; the 
conference will count as one day's work; the ref- 
erence will count as one day's work. 

HISTORY ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment No. 1 

(For Fourth Grade Pupils of 8 to 9 years.) 

Grade IV HISTORY 5th Contract Assignment 

After Paul Revere had warned the '* Minute 
Men" that the British were coming, and after the 
British had been beaten back from Concord there 
was no fighting for some months. The British 
were perfectly satisfied to stay in Boston and not 
meddle with the "Minute Men." On June 17th, 
1775, the British saw that the "Minute Men" had 
put up a fort on Bunker Hill in Charlestown. If 
the British did not drive the Americans off the 
hill, the Americans might drive the British out of 
Boston. The British attacked Bunker Hill, and 
after being driven back twdce with great loss of 
life, they finally succeeded in driving the Ameri- 
cans away, because the Americans had used up 
all their ammunition. In the summer General 
George Washington came to take command of the 
American army near Boston, and in the spring of 



86 THE DALTON PLAN 

the next year, by mounting some cannon on Dor- 
chester Heights, near Boston, he made the British 
get into their ships and sail away. Washington 
then went to New York, and the British came there 
also soon after. This time the British were suc- 
cessful, and Washington was driven out of New 
York and across New Jersey, with the British in 
hot pursuit. When Washington crossed the Dela- 
ware Eiver into Pennsylvania, the British gave 
up the chase, thinking they had frightened him 
away for good and all. 

1st Week 

This week we are going to read how Washington 
surprised the British when they least expected it. 
There will be two problems to work on. 

Problems 

Problem 1. Suppose you are one of Washing- 
ton 's soldiers at the time the British were chasing 
him across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. 
Write the story of how you crossed the Delaware 
Eiver with Washington on Christmas night, and 
how you took Trenton. 

Problem 2. Again supposing you are one of 
Washington's men. This time you are with the 
American army at Valley Forge during the winter 
of 1776-77, when the British were snugly housed 
in Philadelphia, and when Washington, with his 
poor little army, was shivering at Valley Forge. 
Write a letter home to your children telling them 
of your life in camp. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 87 

References 

The reference for these problems is American 
Hero Stories. Use the index to find the stories 
you want. One is called "A Christmas Surprise" 
and the other ' ' Winter at Valley Forge. ' ' 

Equivalents 

Each of these problems counts as two-and-a-half 
days' work. Bring your compositions to me when 
you have finished them. 

Departmental Cut 

This written work, when accepted by me, may 
be credited as a week's work in English Composi- 
tion. 

2nd Week 

In the summer of 1776 a very important thing 
happened in Philadelphia. It was before the 
British captured the city, and it was not a battle. 
The Declaration of Independence was signed on 
July 4th. That is what we shall study about this 
week. I presume you know something about it 
already. Perhaps you can find out some more 
about it. 

Problems 

Here are some questions on the Declaration of 
Independence. Write the answers to them, using 
complete sentences in each answer. 

1. Who were in the Continental Congress? 

2. Where did it meet, and when? 



88 THE DALTON PLAN 

3. What two important deeds did the Con- 
tinental Congress do? 

4. Who introduced the resolution for Inde- 
pendence 1 

5. What five men were on the committee? 

6. Who wrote the Declaration of Independ- 
ence? 

7. How was the news of the Declaration of 
Independence told to the people? 

8. What was the exact date of the Declaration 
of Independence? 

Memory Work 

Learn by heart the last paragraph of the Decla- 
ration, beginning: "We, therefore, the Repre- 
sentatives of the United States of America " 

References 

The reference for this work is Makers of the 
Nation. 

Bulletin Study and Conference 

Will you all examine the copy of the Declaration 
of Independence that is on the Bulletin Board? 
At the Conference on Friday, February 17th, we 
shall talk about the Declaration, and I shall ask 
you what you have noticed about this copy of the 
Declaration. 

Equivale7its 

The reading counts as one day^s work; the ques- 
tions as two days ' work ; and the memory work as 
two days' work. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 89 

3rd Week 

This week we shall read and study about one 
of the martyrs of the Eevolution. I wonder if you 
all know what a martyr is. If you do not know, 
see if you can find out. This martyr's name was 
Nathan Hale. 

Problem 

Your problem this week will be to read about 
Nathan Hale, and then to come to me and let me 
test you on your reading. I am giving you some 
questions here to guide you as you study about 
him. 

1. Where was Nathan Hale born? 

2. Where did he go to College 1 

3. Tell about his offering to go on the dan- 
gerous mission for Washington. 

4. What was his disguise ? 

5. Tell about his adventures and about his 
capture. 

6. What was done to him? 

7. What were his last words? 

Equivalents 

The reading will count as two days' work, and 
the reporting on the reading as three days ' work. 

4th Week 

There are a great many heroes of the Revo- 
lutionary War that we might read about. We 
have not time to read about all of them, but I am 
hoping that you may be interested to find out more 
about some of them. Here are some of the inter- 



90 THE DALTON PLAN 

esting ones: Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, 
Colonel Prescott, General Gates, General Her- 
kimer, Israel Putnam, Mad Anthony "Wayne, 
Daniel Morgan, The Swamp Will o' the Wisp, 
Nathaniel Greene, Lafayette, Baron Von Steuben, 
Robert Morris, George Rogers Clark. 

This week we shall learn about one more great 
Revolutionary hero, John Paul Jones, the "Father 
of the American Navy." 

Problem 

The problem is to read about John Paul Jones 
and then to come to me and give me an oral re- 
port on your reading. I shall expect you to come 
and tell me what you have to say without any 
questioning or help on my part. Plan your report 
out before you come to me. 

I shall ask some of the children who give good 
reports to repeat them at the conference on Feb- 
ruary 24th. 

References 

The references for this work are American 
Hero Stories or Makers of the Nation. 

Equivalents 

The reading counts as two days' work, and the 
report as three days' work. 

Assignment No. 2 

(For Fifth Grade Pupils 9 to 10 years.) 

Grade V HISTORY Sth Contract Assignment 

The Persian Wars had ended, and the Greeks 
were no longer afraid of attacks by the Persians. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 91 

The Athenians went home to find their homes in 
ruins, for you will remember that the Persians 
had burned Athens just before the battle of 
Salamis. The Spartans went home planning to 
make their city the greatest in Greece. In fact, 
each city had great plans of this same kind. Al- 
though they had all united for the time being to 
drive out the Persians, each city was jealous of 
its neighbours, and we shall see what hard times 
the Greeks had in the next three hundred years. 

1st Week 

This week we shall study one of the great 
Athenian heroes, Pericles. He is, perhaps, the 
greatest of all the great Athenian leaders. 

Problem 

After you have done the reading listed below, 
write out the answers to the following questions, 
using complete sentences in every answer : 

1. Tell the story of the Athenians rebuilding 
their walls. 

2. What was Piraeus ? 

3. Describe the Long Walls. 

4. What are the names of the three kinds of 
columns used in Greek temples? 

5. What were the names of two buildings on 
the Acropolis? 

6. Tell what each building was used for. 

7. Describe the Theatre of Dionysius. 

8. Who were the three great Greek tragic 
writers'? 

9. What is a tragedy? What is a comedy? 



92 THE DALTON PLAN 

10. Who was a comedy writer in Athens? 

11. Who were two historians? 

12. What changes did Pericles make in the laws 
of Athens? 

References 

Eead in Old World Hero Stories the story called 
'^Pericles." 

Equivalents 

The reading counts as two days ' work, and the 
writing as three days ' work. 

2nd Week 

We shall learn more about the Age of Pericles 
this week. 

Problems 

There will be three problems this week. 

1. Draw a plan of the front of the Parthenon, 
naming the different parts. 

2. Write a description of a Greek house. Tell 
how the house was arranged, and compare it with 
a modern house. 

3. Tell, in a story, what the children in Athens 
did. Tell how they were taught, how they played, 
etc. 

References 

The reference for 1 is TarbelPs History of 
Greek Art. The reference for 2 and 3 is Old 
World Hero Stories. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 93 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 will count for three days ' work and 2 
and 3 each one day. 

Bulletin Study 

Examine the pictures of the Parthenon and of 
Greek houses that are on the Bulletin Board. 
These may help you in your work. 

Departmental Cut 

Miss Baily is willing to credit you with three 
days' work in Art for the drawing of the Par- 
thenon. 

3rd Week 

After the time of Pericles the Athenians had 
a hard time. They had a war with the Spartans, 
and the Spartans won. The Athenians were never 
again as happy and as prosperous as they were 
when Pericles was their leader. Almost three 
hundred years later there arose a great kingdom 
to the north of Greece, called Macedonia. The 
king of this realm was named Philip, and he had 
a son named Alexander. This is the man we are 
going to study this week. 

Problems 

Peoblem 1. Here are some questions to answer 
about Alexander. Write the answers in complete 
sentences. 

1. What tidings did the three messengers bring 
to King Philip of Macedonia? 



94 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Tell the story of the taming of Bucephalus. 

3. Who was Alexander's teacher, and where 
did he come from? 

4. After Philip's death what did Alexander 
decide to do? 

5. How big an army did he have? 

6. What were three of his battles? 

7. Tell the story of the Gordian Knot. 

8. How many cities were named after Alex- 
ander ? 

Problem 2. The second problem is to draw a map 
of Alexander's kingdom. Use coloured crayons 
to show the territory that he conquered. 

References 

Read about Alexander in Old World Hero 
Stories, and find the map of his empire in West's 
Ancient World. 

Equivalents 

The reading is one day's work; the writing is 
two days' work; and the drawing is two days' 
work. 

4th Week 

This week we are going to start on the study of 
Eome. The first topic is the Founding of the City. 

Problems 

There will be two parts to the work this week. 
Peoblem 1. First we shall all read the story of 
Romulus, and be prepared to make an oral report 
on it. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 95 

Pkoblem 2. I shall assign different stories to 
certain members of our group, and those certain 
members will be responsible for telling that story 
at the conference on December 19th. These small 
groups may work together and plan about the tell- 
ing of their stories in any way they wish. Here 
are the stories : 

The Story of Aeneas 

Margery, Edward, Harry, Jane, Mary. 

The Stealing of the Sabine women 

Doris, Louise, Donald, John. 

The Women stop the Fight 

Richard, Helen B., Joseph. 

The Treachery of Tarpeia 

Edith, Alice, Eleanor, Arthur, Horace. 

References 

The references for these stories are : Old World 
"Hero Stories, The Story of the Romans, The 
Story of the Roman People. 

Equivalents 

Problems 1 and 2 count as half a week's work 
each. 

Bulletin Study 

You will all be interested in looking at the pic- 
tures on the Bulletin Board illustrating the Story 
of Aeneas and the Founding of Eome. 



96 THE DALTON PLAN 

Assignment No. 3 

(For Sixth Grade Pupils 10 to 11 years.) 

Grade VI 5tJi Contract Assignment 

ENGLISH HISTORY 

Edward III, the King of England who started 
the Hundred Years' War with France, had six 
sons. We have already read about the Black 
Prince ; he died before he could become king, and 
not one of Edward-'s other sons became kings 
either. Some of their descendants, however, did 
ascend the throne, the first one being Richard II, 
about whom we have read. Then came Henry IV, 
the son of the Duke of Lancaster. Henry V was 
another Lancastrian, and his son Henry VI, was 
also a Lancastrian. Henry VI was a very young 
boy, and many people thought that the crown 
should go to another descendant of Edward III, 
the Duke of York. This led to disputes, and the 
disputes to more violent forms of argument, until 
there was started in England a war known as the 
Wars of the Roses. This was called so because 
the Lancastrians took for their emblem a red rose 
and the Yorkists, as the followers of the Duke of 
York were called, took a white rose for their 
emblem. 

1st Week 

We shall study about the Wars of the Roses this 
week. 

Problem 

The problem is to read as much as you can 
about these wars, and then come to me for an oral 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 97 

test on what you have read. I suggest that as you 
read you write down on paper the things that you 
thinly are important, and that you want to re- 
member. 

References 

The references are in Piers Plowman, BJc. VI, 
The Story of the English, or England's Story. 

Equivalents 

The reading will count as 3 days ' work ; the oral 
test as 2 days. 

2nd Week 

We shall study some particular incidents in the 
Wars of the Roses this week. 

Problem 

The problem will be to write a composition on 
one of the following topics : — 

1. Queen Margaret and the Robber. 

2. The Princes in the Tower. 

3. The First English Printer. 

References 

The references are the same as last week. 
Note: In writing this composition, remember to 
put in all marks of punctuation, all capitals, etc. 

Departmental Cut 

If this composition passes it may count as a 
week's work in your English composition. 



98 THE DALTON PLAN 

3rd Week 

Problem 

You are a reporter on an Englisli newspaper. 
(We will pretend that they had newspapers in the 
time of Richard III.) You have been assigned to 
write up the Battle of Bosworth Field. Tell how 
the battle came to be fought, tell about the battle 
itself, and tell what came of it. Get your material 
from any of the English History Books. Here is 
a head-line for your story. 

*' Crowned on the Battlefield." 

4th Week 

The family of English kings that began with 
Henry VII was called the Tudor family. There 
were five of them, Henry VII, Henry VIII, 
Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth. I wish we had 
time to read about them all and about some of the 
great men who lived in their time. We shall have 
to pass over them, or most of them, and come to 
the reign of Elizabeth, perhaps the greatest of the 
Tudors. 

Problem 

We shall have two problems this week, and each 
one will be the subject of an oral report. I will 
give you the problems, and I am going to let you 
find your material for yourselves. You are 
familiar enough by this time with the various 
books we have and can easily find your own read- 
ing. 
Problem 1. The Spanish Armada; what it was; 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 99 

why it came to England; how the English made 
ready to meet it ; the storm ; the battle ; the end of 
the Armada. 

Problem 2. The Elizabethan Age ; what is meant 
by that name ; what the names of the great figures 
of that age are ; what they did. 

Equivalents 

Each problem and its oral report will count as 
one-half a week's work. 



Assignment No. 4 

(For Seventh Grade Pupils 11 to 12 years) 

Grade VII Sth Contract Assignment 

AMERICAN HISTORY 

One Month's Assignment 

After the delegates at the Philadelphia Con- 
vention had made the Constitution, and the nine 
states had agreed to it, thus making it a law, the 
country was ready to start governing itself. As 
soon as possible the people met to elect a Presi- 
dent, and they all united in choosing George 
Washington for the first one. We have had 
twenty-eight since Washington. From now on we 
are going to study our history in a little different 
way, that is, studying what went on during the 
administration of each president. We shall keep 
a note-book, which I will give you, and record the 
things we find out about the different presidents. 
We shall have at least a page for each president, 



100 THE DALTON PLAN 

and for some we shall have to have more than one 
page, when there were a great many important 
happenings. 

Problem 

Our problem this month will be the preparing 
in our note-books of the material about eleven of 
the presidents, beginning with Washington and 
ending with James K. Polk. 

In your note-books put the name of the president 
on the top line of the page. After his name in 
parentheses put the name of the political party 
that he belonged to and the dates of his adminis- 
tration. On the line below put the name of the 
vice-president, or vice-presidents if he had two. 
Then skip a line and begin to put down the im- 
portant facts to remember about that president's 
administration. Number the facts, and begin each 
on a new line. It would be a good plan to put the 
facts down on paper first, and show them to me, 
and then copy them into your book. Be sure to 
consult me if you have any doubt about the work. 
Here is a sample arrangement of a page : 

George Washington (Federalist) 1789-1797. 
John Adams, Vice-President. 

1. Inaugurated in New York, April 30, 1789. 

2. 

3. 

References 

To get the material for your note-book read 
Montgomery's Elementary History, or Mont- 
gomery's Leading Facts. Use the World Almanac 
for information about the vice-presidents. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 101 

Equivalents 

You can figure out how much to mark on your 
card as you work. There are eleven presidents, 
and there are twenty working days. Therefore 
some presidents would count as two days' work, 
but some as only one. 



Assignment No. 5 

(For Eighth Grade Pupils 12 to 13 years.) 

AMEEICAN HISTORY 

Grade VIII CIVICS 5th Contract Assignment 

Last month you studied about the Constitution 
of the United States : you learned about the legis- 
lative, executive, and judicial departments, and 
what their different powers and duties were. This 
month we shall review this by comparing these 
same departments with those in another country; 
we shall learn about some of the great figures in 
public life of to-day ; and we shall go and find out 
some more necessary and useful knowledge about 
our Constitution. 

1st Week 

"We are all interested in England, because the 
people there speak the same language that we do, 
and because our forefathers came from that 
country. This week we are going to see how the 
parts of the Government of England are different 
from the parts of our own, and how fhey are alike. 



102 THE DALTON PLAN 

Problem 

The problem will be to learn tbese likenesses 
and differences so that you can explain them to 
anyone in a clear way. I shall test you on what 
you have learned, either orally or by written test. 

References 

In a pamphlet called Pupils ' Outlines for Home 
Study, Civics, Part I, pages 10-14, you will find 
the necessary facts about the Governments of the 
United States and England given in parallel 
columns. 

Equivalents 

You will probably wish to do the whole week's 
work at one time, but if you do not do it all at once, 
consult me as to the value of portions of the work 
outline. 

2nd Week 

In connection with the studying we did last 
week, we are going to learn some current events 
this week; we are going to find out who some of 
the men are who are holding the various positions 
in the Governments we have been studying. You 
may know some of them without looking them up. 
- 1. President of the United States. 

2. King of England. 

3. Vice-President of the United States. 

4. Prince of Wales. 

5. Members of the Cabinet of the United 
States. 

6. Members of the English Cabinet. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 103 

7. United States Ambassador to England. 

8. English Ambassador to the United States. 

9. United States Ambassador to France. 

10. United States Ambassador to Italy. 

11. United States Ambassador to Belgium. 

12. Judges of the United States Supreme Court. 

13. The Senators from New York State. 

14. Speaker of the House of Eepresentatives. 

15. Governor of the Philippines. 

16. United States Delegates to the Disarmament 
Conference. 

References 

You can find this information in The World 
Almanac, 1922. 

Bulletin Study 

There are pictures of some of the men in this 
assignment on the Bulletin board. See if you can 
add to the collection from pictures in the current 
magazines or the picture supplements of the 
Sunday papers. 

3rd Week 

Before we leave the study of the government of 
the United States there are a few things we ought 
to know as intelligent citizens. We shall learn 
some of those things this week. 

Problems 

Problem 1. How a Law is passed through 

Congress. 

Problem 2. How the Constitution is amended. 

What is an amendment? 



104 THE DALTON PLAN 

Peoblem 3. The amendments: what they con- 
tain ; learn Nos. I-XVIII. 

When you have finished the study of these 
problems, come to me and make me an oral report 
on what you have found. 

References 

By this time you are sufficiently familiar with 
the various books on government that we have, to 
have some general idea as to where to find things, 
so I am going to leave you to use your own in- 
genuity in digging out information that you want. 

Equivalents 

The first two problems count as 2 days* work; 
the last as 3 days '. 

4th Week 

This week we have three more problems in the 
same line as last week's. The first two are to be 
written out, and the last one I will test you on 
when you have finished. 

Prohlems 

Peoblem 1. What does the Constitution prohibit 
the States from doing? 

Peoblem 2. What rights do the States have? 
Peoblem 3. Learn the following definitions. 
(Any person who wants to talk intelligently about 
affairs of government should know what these 
terms mean.) 

1. Congress — A body of men who make the 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 105 

laws for the United States, this body consists of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

2. Legislative Department — Department that 
has to do with the making of laws. 

3. Executive Department — Department that 
sees that the laws are carried out. 

4. Judicial Department — Department that ex- 
plains the laws and sentences law-breakers. 

5. Original jurisdiction — A court is said to 
have original jurisdiction if a case is begun in that 
court. 

6. Appellate jurisdiction — A court is said to 
have appellate jurisdiction if a case is brought to 
it from a lower court. 

7. Admiralty — Jurisdiction of cases arising 
from maritime affairs and crimes committed on 
the high seas. 

8. Ambassador — an official representing his 
country in a foreign country. 

9. Consul — An official representing his coun- 
try in a foreign country mainly for the protection 
of commerce. 

10. Impeachment — accusing a public officer of 
crime or misbehaviour while in office. 

11. Habeas Corpus — A warrant compelling the 
investigation as to the legality of the imprison- 
ment of an individual. 

12. Ex Post Facto Law — Makes an act criminal 
which was not so when committed. 

References 

The material for the first two problems may be 
found in the Constitution itself or in one of the 
books on government. 



106 THE DALTON PLAN 

Equivalents 

The first problem counts as 2 days' work; the 
second as 1 day's and the third as 2 days'. 

GEOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment No. 1 

(For Eighth Grade Pupils of 12 to 13 years.) 

Grade VIII 4th Contract Assignment 

GEOGRAPHY 

Topic : China. 

You already know about some of China's prob- 
lems through your study of the Conference for the 
Limitation of Armaments. I think you will be 
interested in learning more about this extraordi- 
nary nation of 400,000,000 people, whose natural 
abilities seem not less than ours, although their 
manners and customs are so very different. 

The civilization of China is probably 2,000 years 
older than that of Europe — that is to say, about 
4,000 years old. Some say it is much older. 

1st Week 

Problems 

Peoblem 1. The three great Chinese religions 
are all much older than that of Christ. The 
founder of Buddhism was a native of India. Con- 
fucius and Lao-Tsin were Chinamen who gave 
their names to great religions. You will read 
about them all in Van Loon's story of Mankind, 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 107 

pp. 240-250. Write about half a page on each re- 
ligion. 

Problem 2. Study carefully both the map on p. 
243 and the illustration on p. 249. 
Problem 3. You will find on the shelves a set of 
pictures of Chinese life which will repay careful 
study. Each picture is explained by a little para- 
graph which should always be read in connection 
with it. There are many pictures of Chinese life 
in the back numbers of Asia and the Geographic. 
I will put some of these magazines aside for you. 
Problem 4. Write a page about your first im- 
pressions as a traveller in China. Write as you 
feel, about the things that interest you. 

Mr. Klauber has spent some time in China. He 
will speak in assembly on Thursday, and will bring 
some interesting pictures, coins, and paper money 
as a loan exhibit for the museum. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 will count as one-and-a-half days' 
work; problem 2 as half a day's ; problem 3 as one 
day's; problem 4 as one day's. 

Departmental Cut 

Consult the head of the English Department to 
see how much these papers will count for English. 
After they are corrected and satisfactory, re-copy 
them in your notebook on religions. 

2nd Week 

There is a good map of China and the Far East 
on p. 17 of your exercise book. You will find it 



108 THE DALTON PLAN 

much, simpler and clearer than the map of the 
Pacific. 

Problems 

Problem 1. Name water bodies, land bodies, pen- 
insulas, countries, provinces, rivers, and canals as 
directed in Exs. XIX and XX. 
Problem 2. Eead pp. 200-235 in Asia, a geog- 
raphy reader. In your notes lay special stress 
on the causes of China's age-long isolation, the 
density of the population, and the poverty of the 
working-class. 

In case several people should want to do this 
work at the same time, I can assign reading in 
other books. 

Note: Two Chinese students will be with us in 
your Geography Conference on Thursday. They 
will give suggestions for costuming the Chinese 
play Mulan, and answer any questions you may 
ask. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 will count as two days' work; prob- 
lem 2 as three days' work. 

3rd Week 

Problems 

Problem 1. Eead about the Chinese Eepublic in 
Eobinson's Commercial or Dodge's Advanced 
Geography. Take notes and answer these ques- 
tions : 

1. Why is the population of China crowded 
into certain provinces 1 Give details. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 109 

2. Why do the Chinese object to labour-saving 
machinery ? 

3. Can you explain why they have progressed 
so little in 2,000 years? 

Peoblem 2. Find out how silk is produced and 
write about it. Refer to American Educator, or 
advertising material on shelves. Find out what 
other countries produce large quantities of silk, 
and what country consumes the most. Examine 
the specimens in the museum and go to the studio 
and ask Miss Baily to show how silk is woven. 
Your art assignment has to do with textiles and 
dyeing this month. This is particularly interest- 
ing. 

Note : Some of you will remember attending the 
Silk Show at the Grand Central Palace last spring. 
Mr. Eaton of the Nonotuck Silk Col r)any is send- 
ing us some silk-worms so that you 3an observe 
them at work. 

Equivalents 

The reading of problem 1 will count as two 
days' work; answering the questions in problem 
1 will count as one day's work; problem 2 will 
count as two days' work. 

4th Week 

Problems 

I am giving you a choice of subjects for research 
work. Select either "The Chinese Boy" or "The 
Chinese Girl." As you proceed with your read- 
ing you will understand how to connect the sub- 
headings, which I am about to suggest, with the 
subject you have selected. 



110 THE DALTON PLAN 

The Chinese Boy. 

Ancestor Worship 

Education 

Chinese Writing 

Examinations 

The Mandarin 

The Chinese Girl. 

She is not wanted — ^why? 

Foot-binding 

Clothes 

Polygamy 

The Mother-in-Law 

Refer to any books on China. Look in the index 
for what you want. 

There are some interesting pictures of Chinese 
life and noted Chinese men in the History Labora- 
tory. The Thursday conference will be in the 
nature of a debate. The boys may take the side 
of the Chinese boy, and the girls the side of the 
Chinese girl. Question: China is the best place in 
the world in which to be educated. 

Equivalents 

The reading of your topic will count as two 
days' work; the writing as three days' work. 

Assignment No. 2 

(For Seventh Grade Pupils of 11 to 12 years.) 

Grade VII 4th Contract Assignment 

GEOGRAPHY 
Topic: South Ameeica. 

You are commissioned by the Secretary of Com- 
merce of the United States Government to visit 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 111 

SoTitli America and report on the commercial re- 
sources and possibilities of that continent. 

1st Week 

Before starting on your journey you will prob- 
ably wish to familiarize yourself somewhat with 
the maps of South America. 

Problems 

Problem 1. Make a political map of South 
America showing the equator, the zones, the prin- 
cipal rivers and mountain ranges. 
Problem 2. Compare the positions of North 
■America and South America wdth regard to the 
equator, the poles, longitudes, other continents. 
Problem 3. Compare the coast lines of the two 
continents. Which is poor in harbours? 
Problem 4. Consult the steamship folders on 
South America and decide on a route which will 
enable you to visit all the important countries of 
South America, including Bolivia. In Brazil you 
may find it necessary to visit two or three cities 
in order to bring back an all-inclusive report to 
the Secretary of Commerce. 

Note : Instead of a conference this week we are 
all going to Central Park to witness the unveiling 
of the Statue *' Bolivar" by two of our children 
Patricia and Maraquita MacManus whose great 
grandfather was the first President of Bolivia. It 
is interesting to us all to know that this statue is 
the work of Peggy's modelling teacher. 
Problem 5. For a brief account of the history of 



112 THE DALTON PLAN 

South America read pp. 203-205 in Tarr and 
McMurry. Book II. 
Report orally on Problems 2, 3, 4 and 5. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 will count as two days' work; Prob- 
lems 2 and 3 as a day's work; Problem 4 as one 
day's work; Problem 5 as one day's work. 

2nd Week 
You are now ready to start on your journey. 

Problems 

Problem 1. I suggest that you make only short 
visits to Venezuela and the Guianas, noting only 
the chief products and the climatic peculiarities. 
Problem 2. The United States is deeply in- 
terested in the actual and potential resources of 
Brazil. Ascertain at the several ports what pro- 
ducts are being exported, in what quantities. 
Problem 3. Learn as much about the valley of 
the Amazon as possible. Inform yourself on the 
subject of rubber. 

References 

You will find information that will enable you 
to interpret your experiences in some of the fol- 
lowing books : — 

Geography of Commerce and Industry — Robin- 
son. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 113 

American Educator. 

Man and His Work — Herbertson. 

Advanced Geograph}^ 

Tarr and McMurry. Book 11. 

Story of Eubber — John Martin. 

Written Work 
Take notes for your own use on each problem. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 (with notes) will count as one day's 
work ; Problem 2 as two days ' work ; Problem 3 as 
two days' work. 

3rd Week 
Continue your journey and conclude it. 

Problems 

Pboblem 1. Make only brief visits to Uruguay 
and Paraguay. 

Pkoblem 2. Visit Argentine, making detailed in- 
quiries as you did in Brazil. 

Problem 3. Visit Peru and Chile, making de- 
tailed inquiries as before and investigating the 
influence of the Andes Mountains upon the climate 
of these countries. 

Problem 4. Make a short visit to Colombia to 
ascertain whether there are any prospective oil 
fields there. 

Beferetices 
See last week's assignment. 



114 THE DALTON PLAN 

Written Work 
Take notes as you did last week. 

Equivalents 

Problems 1 and 4 will count as one-half a day's 
work each; Problems 2 and 3 as two days' work 
each. 

4th Week 

The Secretary expects to receive your report by 
the 10th. It should be based on your notes and 
should comprise not less than ten closely written 
pages. 

Equivalents 

Two or more pages will count as one day's work. 
The report will not be considered complete, how- 
ever, unless all your notes have been embodied 
in it. 

Assignment No. 3 

(For High School Pupils of 13 to 14 years.) 

High School GEOGRAPHY 

1st Year 4th Contract Assignment 

We have worked for some time on problems sug- 
gested by the Conference on Disarmament with 
special reference to China and Japan. We are 
now about to take up some of the same problems 
and many new ones, from the viewpoint of Im- 
perial Britain. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 115 

1st Week 

Problems 
Problem 1. Read in the New World, by Isaiah 
Bo^vman — a recent and authoritative book on 
political geography — Chapter II on "Problems 
of Imperial Britain, pp. 12-16, the introductory 
paragraphs in which the extent of the British Em- 
pire and the gains resulting from the Great War 
are discussed. The entire Chapter runs from p. 
12— p. 79. 

It will be worth your while to take rather full 
notes. 

Problem 2. On p. 31 of Practical Map Exercises, 
Eastern Hemisphere, you will find a map of the 
world. Trace this map. List the parts of the 
British Empire as classified on p. 29 of The New 
World. Locate these parts on the map, using neat 
printed abbreviations or corresponding numbers 
rather than whole words. 

You will find a map of the world with the British 
Empire shown in red in Lyde's Economic Atlas. 
In Rand & McNally's Atlas of Reconstruction you 
will find what additions have been made to the 
Empire since 1914. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 A\ill count as three days' work; Prob- 
lem 2 as two days' work. 

2nd Week 

Problems 
Problem 1. In the New World read carefully 
(taking notes as usual) pp. 16-27 on The Trade 



116 THE D ALTON PLAN 

Organization of the Empire and the paragraphs 
on p. 28 which deal with the policies of Great 
Britain towards the parts of her Empire. 
Problem 2. Supplement your notes with a one- 
page discussion of one of the following subjects : — 
The relation of coal to industry. 
The points of resemblance between England 
and Japan- 
Free trade and protection as national policies. 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 will count as three days ' work ; Prob- 
lem 2 as two days ' work. 

3rd Week 

The five self-governing dominions — Canada, 
Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and New- 
foundland — constitute a bulwark rather than a 
menace to the British Empire. Yet they are not 
entirely satisfied with their large measure of 
freedom, as you will read on pp. 29-30 of The New 
World, by Bowman. 

The most acute problems confronting Great 
Britain arise (according to Bowman, who evi- 
dently considers South Africa from two distinct 
standpoints) from these portions of the empire 
wherein an intense nationalism threatens revolu- 
tion: — Ireland, South Africa, India, and Egypt. 
Since the writing of this book an agreement has 
been reached between English and Irish delegates 
which apparently solves the problem of Ireland. 
The circumstances and terms in the New World, 
taking detailed notes. (This account of the Irish 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 117 

question seems lacking in several particulars.) 
Find out about : — 

1. The great Irish leaders of the Nineteenth 
Century. 

2. The Sinn Fein Party. 

Equivalents 

The reading and notes will count as three days' 
work ; the questions discussed with me will count 
as two days' work. 

4th Week 

Bring to school any books or magazines you can 
find that contain accounts of the Irish controversy, 
or of the agreement recently arrived at. I will 
bring anything I can find. 

Decide what aspect of the question interests 
you most, and assign yourself a definite amount of 
reading. 

Write a paper of say, 3 pages, from the Ulster, 
British, or Sinn Fein point of view. Stress 
radical, religious, political or economic differ- 
ences, as seems best to you. You will be given 
credit for this paper in the English department. 
The best one will be read in assembly on Wed- 
nesday. 

Note: Mr. Seumas MacManus, the Irish writer, 
will be at the school on Tuesday. He will attend 
your conference the third week. On Tuesday of 
the fourth week Mr. Humphrey (who is well 
kno^Ti in political circles and who officiated at the 
opening of Sulgrave Manor) will take up any 
side of the Irish controversy on which you may de- 



118 THE DALTON PLAN 

sire to question him. It may be interesting for 
you to talk with Tom, the Scotch carpenter, who 
has some decided views. 

MATHEMATICS ASSIGNMENT 

Assignment No. 1. 

(For Eighth Grade Pupils of 12 to 13 years.) 

Grade VIII 5th Contract Assignment 

MATHEMATICS 

It often happens that a business undertaking 
may be too large for one or two individuals to 
supply all the money which may be needed, and 
so a number of persons unite and form what is 
called a stock company or corporation. For in- 
stance, you would like $50.00 or more for your 
"Puppet Theatre." We shall suppose that all 
who are in Grades VII and VIII were to form a 
stock company and agree to take a certain number 
of shares. 

We shall call the stock company the '* Puppet 
Theatre Corporation." Edgar will be the com- 
pany's agent, so he will sell the shares. He will 
be furnished with some blank certificates, so you 
may come to him for shares. 

The company's capital will amount to $50.00 
and each share will be valued at $1.00. If Alice 
buys 10 shares she will have to pay $10.00. It will 
be Edgar's business to sell his shares in such a 
way that all members of Grades VII and VIII 
may be shareholders. 

A company 's profits are called its dividends and 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 119 

are divided at regular periods among the share- 
holders according to the number of shares each 
possesses. 

Stock is not money, but it can be bought and sold 
for money, and a shareholder can get money for 
his stock only by selling it to some person who is 
willing to buy. The par value is the real value 
of each share. Stocks are at a discount, or at a 
premium, according as the shares sell for below or 
above their par value. 

1st Week 

Stocks. We shall now have some problems on 
the buying and selling of these stocks. 

Bulletin Study 

On the bulletin board in the mathematics room 
you will find a list containing the names of the 
pupils who have bought shares. This list will also 
indicate the number of shares they have bought. 

Problems 

1. Find out how much annual dividend 
Gretchen would receive from her shares at 4i/2% 
per year. 

2. Find the annual dividends of all the share- 
holders if the rate is 5% per year. 

3. How much 2i/^% stock must Eugene hold in 
order to obtain an annual income of $1,001 

4. How many shares at 56^^% could he buy for 
$30.00? 

5. Elizabeth Sandler sells 6 of her '' Puppet 



120 THE DALTON PLAN 

Theatre" shares at 35% and invests the proceeds 
in bank stock at $.45. How many shares of bank 
stock does she buy? 

6. Work questions 8, 9, 10 on page 245 and 
questions 2, 3, 4, 5 on page 244 of the Ontario 
Public School Arithmetic. 

Written Work 

As usual, you will work these problems in your 
note-booi . 

Conference 

During our conference, which fortunately comes 
early in the week, Edgar will sell his stock. We 
shall make out a list of the shares sold, ready to 
post on the bulletin board. 

Equivalents 

Problems 1 and 2 count for one day's work; 
Problems 3, 4 and 5 count for one day's work: 
Problem 6 counts as three days ' work. 

2nd Week 

Interest. 

Interest is the money paid for the use of 
money. 

The Principal is the sum of money on which the 
interest is charged. 

The Amount is the sum due at maturity. It 
contains both principal and interest. 

The rate is the number of per cent of the princi- 
pal in the yearly interest. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 121 

References 

Read carefully paragraph 390 on page 184 of 
**The New Practical Arithmetic." 

Problems 

Work the problems given under 391. 

You will notice that it asks for the interest on 
these different sums at &% for 60 days, 30 days, 90 
days, 6 days, 12 days, 18 days, 3 days, 2 days, 24 
days. Do them in the simplest way possible. 

Equivalents 
Any four problems count a day's work. 

Written Work or Oral Report 

You should be able to do a great number of these 
mentally. The rest may be worked in your note- 
books. 

Conference 

I shall spend the time of this week's conference 
in explaining the first principles of interest to 
those of you who have not had any problems in 
Interest. 

3rd Week 

Review. We shall devote our time this week to a 
general review. 

Prohlen^s 

1. A lot is 8.5 rods long and 6.4 rods wide. 
What decimal part of an acre is it I ' 



122 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Change 3/25 to a decimal and divide the 
result by .25; by 2.5; by 25. 

3. What part of a cubic foot is a block 12 
inches by 6 inches by 2 inches. 

4. How much will it cost to insure a house for 
$7,200.00, at 3/8% ; at 3/10% : at 1/4% ? 

5. A dealer sold 65% of his stock of lumber and 
then had 7,000 ft. left : How much lumber had he 
before the sale? 

6. A house worth $4,500.00 is insured for 2/3 
of its value at 3/5% what is the premium? 

7. What is the interest on $1.00 for 1 year at 
6%)? For 3 years? For 21/2 years? 

8. What is the interest on $1.00 for 30 days at 
6% ? for 6 days? For 18 days? For 24 days? 

9. A man who owned 3/4 of a mine sold 1/3 of 
his share for $2,650.00; at this rate what is the 
value of the mine ? 

10. A circle is 14 ft. in diameter. Find the area 
and the circumference. 

11. What is the ratio of 31/, ft. to IO1/2 ft.? 6 
in. to 18 in.? 121/, lbs. to 50 lbs.? 

12. What decimal equals 1/4 ; 3/4 ; 1/3 ; 2/3 ; 1/6 ; 
5/6; 1/8; 3/8; 3/5; 4/5? 

13. A girl is 15 years old and her age is 3/10 
of the age of her father. How old is her father? 

14. How many times will a hoop 7 ft. in diam- 
eter turn around in rolling 132 feet? 83 feet? 

15. A boy gave 2/5 of his money for a slate and 
1/10 of it for a ruler. What part had he left? 

Equivalents 
Any three questions count as one day's work. 



' SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 123 

Written Work 

Keep a record of these in your note-books. 
Mark any which you found difficulty in solving. 



4th Week 

CUEVED SUEFACES. 

You will remember that we worked some easy 
problems in circles, curved surfaces, etc., during 
the first week of your 4th assignment. 

Problems 

These problems are a continuance of the work 
of the 4th assignment. 

Problem. Work the questions in Exercise XIX 
of Book 1, Philips' Arithmetic. 
Note : You may choose either this or one of the 
weeks in Algebra in Part B. 

Equivalents 
The exercise counts for five days ' work. 

This completes Part A. 

Conference. 

In our conference this week we shall have a gen- 
eral review of the work of the 5th Assignment. 



124 THE DALTON PLAN 

PART B. 

Algebra 

Part B is not compulsory for all of you, but I 
should like as many as possible to try it. If you 
complete parts B and C satisfactorily, you will be 
marked a *' maximum pupil" on your report. 

Problems 

Will you read very carefully pages 1 and 2 of 
the General Mathematics. 
Peoblem 1. What is an equation? 

Explain to me either orally or by means of 
written work how this experiment proves that if 
the same number be subtracted from both sides of 
an equation the remainders are equal. 
Peoblem 2. There is another experiment de- 
scribed on page 3 which proves that if both sides 
of an equation are divided by the same number the 
quotients are equal. Can you explain this also! 

Work all the problems on pages 2 and 4. 

Equivalents 
Equations. 

The parts of an expression separated by plus 
( -\- ) and minus ( — ) signs are called the terms of 
a number. 

Thus 2a and 3b are the terms of the number 
2a-|-3b. A one term number is called a monomial. 



4 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 125 

Problems 



Pkoblem 1. 



8-7-2= ? 8a;-7ic-2aj= ? 

8+2-7= ? 8rc+2a;-7a;= f 

2+8-7= ? 2a;+8a;-7a;= ? 

The value of an expression is unchanged if the 
order of its terms is changed, provided each term 
carries with it the sign at its left. If no sign is ex- 
pressed at the left of the first term of an expres- 
sion the plus sign is understood. 

Similar and Dissimilar Terms. 

Terms which have a common literal factor, as 
2x, 3x and 5x, are similar terms. Their sum is a 
one-term expression, namely, 10a;. When terms 
do not have a common literal factor, as 2x and Sy, 
they are called dissimilar terms. 

Algebraic expressions are simplified by combin- 
ing similar terms. Combining similar terms in 
either the right or the left member of an equation 
gives us the same equation in simpler form. 
Problem 2. Solve the following equations : 

1. 2ic-7=a;+3. 

2. 3ic+2=a;+8. 

3. 5a;-3a;+2a;-2=2a;+a;+12. 

4. 16y-8y^3y-2=by-2y-\-U. 

5. 20+4a;=38-10a;. 

6. 5a;+3-a;=a;+18. 

7. 7r+18+3f=32+2r-2. 

8. 16+6s+30+6s-45+8+12+3s+13+sl29. 

9. 253/-20-72/-5=56— 52/+5. 



126 THE DALTON PLAN 

Equivalents 

Problem 1 counts as one-half a day's work: in 
Problem 2, two questions count as one day's 
work. 

PART C. 

Work the following problems : 

Problem 1 : A garden roller is 4 ft. 8 in. in circum- 
ference, and is 2 ft. 10 in. long. How many square 
yards of ground would be covered when it has 
turned 12 times? 

Problem 2. The sides of a wooden building 50 ft. 
long, 181/2 ft. wide, and with walls 123/2 ft. high, 
are to be painted. Find the area that is to be so 
treated. 

ART ASSIGNMENTS 

Assignment No. 1 

(For Fifth Grade Pupils of 9 to 10 years.) 

Qrade V ART 3rd Contract Assignment 

Christmas Gifts 
Block printed mat or magazine cover. 
Design. 

1. Study the illustrative material — ^block 
printed mat and designs and blocks posted on the 
green bulletin board. Notice the nice, interesting 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 127 

spacing in the designs — it is not all alike. Notice 
the interesting edges of the designs. They have 
variety also. 

2. How to begin: Choose the size you wish 
your design to be and cut out a piece of manilla 
drawing paper that size. Next decide upon the 
shape — shall it be a leaf shape or a flower shape. 
Think about the curves and make them beautiful 
when you cut them. When you have a large shape 
so cut that it pleases you, think about the edges. 
Can you make those edges more interesting? 
Study again the edges of the designs on the bul- 
letin board. Notice that the edges are decorated 
in an orderly way. See what you can do to yours. 

When your edges have been decorated think of 
the central part of your design. Here you must 
consider your spacing quite carefully. Be sure 
that you have variety, and be sure that the shape 
of the centre design looks well with the outside 
shape. Use a dark paper for this part of the de- 
sign. Arrange your design carefully, and bring it 
to me for criticism. 

The making of your design is one week's work. 
How TO Make your Block. 

Trace your design onto a piece of thin white 
tracing paper by drawing around each part of it. 
If you do not understand, ask me to show you how 
to do it. 

When your design is well traced, get a piece of 
linoleum the right size from me, put a thin coat 
of paste all over your linoleum, and spread your 
tracing paper on top. With a newspaper over 
this, rub carefully with a pencil. 

When this has thoroughly dried, you are ready 



128 THE DALTON PLAN 

to cut your block. Ask me to show you how to 
do it. 
This will count for two-and-a-half days ' work. 

How TO PUT YOUR DeSIGN ONTO YOUR MaT OR MAGA- 
ZINE Cover. 

We call this ''blocking the design," or ''block 
printing" it. I will have to show you how to do 
this, but you may get the following materials be- 
fore asking me to help you. 

10 pins, spool of thread, your block print, a 

ruler, 4 thumb tacks and your linen or silk, a 

drawing-board and either 4 paper towels or a 

piece of felt or cotton for padding. 

Blocking and making your gift is one-and-a-half 

weeks ' work. That means you have done three 

weeks ' work altogether. 

Assignment No. 2 

(For Seventh Grade Pupils of 11 to 12 years.) 

Grade VII ART ASSIGNMENT 3rd Month 

Christmas Gifts 
Stencilled Bag or Stencilled Table Centre. 
Design. 

Materials to work with : Manilla paper, scissors, 
illustrative material posted on the board or found 
on the brown table. 

The design itself : Study carefully the illustra- 
tive material. Notice the variety of shapes, the 
interesting shapes, the fact that either the dark or 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 129 

the light is most important, the fact that your back- 
ground must be interesting as well as your fore- 
ground, and that it all holds together, making a 
single unit or design. 

How to begin: Choose the shape and size you 
wish your motif to be. Decide whether it shall be 
a leaf or a flower motif. Fold your paper in half 
(after you have cut it the correct size), then open 
it out before beginning to cut out your design. 

Your design : Study your paper and see if you 
can find a design in it. Work on just half of your 
paper first, then folding it, make the other half 
like the first. Cut the general shape first, either 
leaf or flower. Then begin to work out a design 
for the centre, thinking carefully about the dark 
and light shapes. Be sure to have variety and 
beautiful line. Bring your design to me for 
criticism. Cut design from stencil paper. 

Application of Design. 

Ask me to show you how to do the stencilling. 
Choose carefully the size and proportion of your 
bag and table runner. Decide just where your de- 
sign is to go. Your design may be used as a 
border on either the bag or table runner. Try re- 
peating it on paper at different distances apart to 
see which looks the best. Try to have the space 
between your designs make an interesting shape. 
When you have planned your repeats let me see 
the arrangement before you put it on the ma- 
terial. 

Materials you will need for stencilling: Pins, 
thread, stencil brush, paint, silk or linen for your 
Christmas gift. 



130 THE DALTON PLAN 

MUSIC ASSIGNMENT 

Assignment No. 1 

(For Sixth Grade Pupils of 10 to 11 years.) 

Grade VI MUSIC 5th Contract Assignment 

1st Week 
Reading. 

We will continue our study of folk songs. 
Choose two songs from the list we made last 
month and study in this way : 

1. What is the pulse ? Clap the rhythm. What 
are the rhythmic patterns? 

2. Find the melodic patterns; write these in 
your music notebook and mark the number of 
times each appears. Sing the first phrase. Sing 
the second phrase, and so on through the song. 

3. Where is the home-tone? Spell the major 
scale from that tone. Spell the major chord from 
that tone. Are there any phrases made entirely 
from tones of that chord? 

4. Play the song on the piano (melody only). 
Can you play it in another key? 

5. Write the song from memory in your note- 
book. Re-write it in another key. 

The above will count as five days' work. 

2nd Week 

Singing. 

1. Study exercises Nos. 21, 22, 23, and 24 in 
your solfege book. Do not mark your card until 
we have sung these in our conference. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 131 

Three days' work. 

2. "We will devote part of our conference time 
to the learning of these songs: (a) All the Birds 
have Come Again; (b) Early One Morning; (c) 
Now the Day is Over. 

Memorizing the words will count for two days' 
work. 

3rd Week 
Rhythm. 

1. Divide the following exercises into meas- 
ures, indicated by the pulse signature, and sing 
them on any one pitch, as do, mi. 

tj i iiiiUlii U.i 
4 J J J. J J- J" J J- J" J J- 

I i u i.nn inn i n u 

This wdll count as one day's work. 

2. Scan the words of the song ''Lady Moon." 
Draw the note heads, the pulse signature, and the 
bars. Be sure all measures are filled. 

Three days' work. 

3. Here are the first phrases of folk songs you 
know. Do you recognize them? When you are 
sure you do, put in pulse signatures and bars and 
the words represented here. 



133 THE DALTON PLAN 

J J J J J J J J. 
J J J J. 

m J J J J J 
iiii n n. 

One day's work. 

Tou should be able to recognize rhythms 
through the ear and to reproduce them in written 
symbols. Our ear training drills will help you to 
do this. 

4th Week 
Harmony. 

Harmonize one of the folk songs you studied 
under Reading. 

Two days' work. 
History. 

In your English work this month you are going 
to write about the life of some great musician. 
You will find on the bulletin board in the music 
room pictures of musicians about whom we have 
studied, also a list of questions concerning these 
musicians which will help you to remember the 
points we discussed in our study. 

The work in English will count as two days' 
work in music. 



SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS 133 

VOCABULAEY. 

The composer marks his composition "adagio" : 
how will you play it I Will a cradle song be played 
piano or forte ? 

One day's work. 



CHAPTER VII 

The Geaph Method of Recording Progress 

When we first began to put the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan into operation the pupils were given a daily 
diary in which they were expected to enter the 
amount of work they had done in each subject be- 
fore leaving any laboratory. But this method, be- 
sides imposing a great deal of extra reading upon 
the teacher, soon proved itself inadequate to the 
purpose. At the same time it was evident that some 
measure of time and work was essential. Fre- 
quently pupils who had worked steadily were sur- 
prised to find themselves behindhand with their 
contract job at the end of the week. Without a 
check to show them exactly what they had done 
they were, we found, apt to devote too much time 
to a favourite subject and not enough to the 
others. Often, indeed, they wandered altogether 
from the assigned requirements and even from the 
subjects indicated therein. The time allotted was 
being used without any real sense of responsi- 
bility. Comprehension of what that responsibility 
entailed was lacking. As long as time was not 
consciously wasted pupils failed at that moment 
to grasp that the proper division of their time was 
essential to the good and satisfactory use of it. 
They were like people who expect you to pardon 

134 



THE GRAPH METHOD 135 

their errors of judgment on consideration of their 
good intentions. They did not budget time, they 
merely squandered it. 

I have already related my early experiments 
when the graph method of checking progress first 
occurred to me. Its superiority to the diary soon 
became evident, and henceforward it was adopted 
as an integral portion of the Dalton Plan. This de- 
vice not only helps the pupil to measure his time 
wisely, but also to adjust it to the fulfilment of 
his job. It made the contract stand out clearly as 
a whole unit, and imparted a sense of responsi- 
bility without driving the pupil. But the graph 
has done more than that. It has lightened the 
teacher's task and simplified the organization of 
work in the laboratories and the general organiza- 
tion of the school. 

There are three different kinds of graphs. The 
first is the Instructor's Laboratory Graph, which 
is kept in the laboratory under the direction of the 
specialist in charge. These graphs are printed in 
five or more colours, one for each of the different 
forms. The following sample, like all my graphs, 
is made by the Educational Supply Association, 40a 
Holborn Viaduct, London, and can be procured in 
the United States through the Children's Uni- 
versity School. 

This sample Graph I assumes that there are 
thirty-five pupils in the class. I have filled in a 
few names in order to illustrate clearly the method 
of marking progress. Mary, Clara, Dorothy, and 
Helen have, we will suppose, finished the work re- 
quired during the first week of the monthly assign- 
ment. Each girl, therefore, draws a line opposite 



136 THE DALTON PLAN 

to her name through the five spaces to indicate the 
work accomplished. These five spaces represent 
five days' work. Frances, having only done two- 
fifths of the week's work, draws her line across 
two of the five spaces, while Mildred and Anne 
record their three-fifths in the same way. The 
equivalents indicated in the assignment show them 
how to reckon their work. 

By this method the instructor can tell at a glance 
exactly what progress each pupil has made in any 
given subject, and by consulting the graphs in the 
other laboratories she can follow his progress in 
all the subjects of his contract. The graph also 
shows which subjects are most interesting to the 
child, and to what extent the assignment affects 
the development of the class as a whole. 

On the other hand, it is equally valuable to the 
pupil who is conscious every time he marks the 
graph, both of what work he has done and of what 
remains to do. He can, at the same time, compare 
his achievement with that of his fellow pupils. Of 
course, the quick, intelligent child will make, at 
least in some subjects, more rapid progress than 
the slow or stupid child. But having checked his 
progress himself, he has no sense of unfairness in 
the estimation of his powers. The graph elimi- 
nates the discouraging feeling of being at a disad- 
vantage in comparison with others, which is so 
afflicting to a slow child under the class system. 
Very often, too, the pupil, who is abnormally slow 
in some subjects, is shown by the graph method to 
be abnormally quick in some one subject for which 
he has a natural aptitude. By budgeting his time 
he can make better progress in getting ahead. 



THE GRAPH METHOD 



137 



Instructor's Laboratory Graph. 


Subject 


Form 


Assignment 

I 


Instructor 
R N ft. 


Names 


1ST Week 


2~? Week 


S-?? Week 


AT" Week | 


1 


2 


3 


4 £ 


6 


7 


8 


9 


to 


n 


12 


13 


14 


15 


16 


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19 


20 


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Louise C. 














































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23 










































24 










































25 










































26 










































27 










































28 










































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50 










































31 










































32 










































33 










































3+ 










































35 




-J 







































Dalton Graph, No. 1. Copyright, Children's University School. 

GRAPH I 
(Actual size: 12 by 8 in.) 



138 THE DALTON PLAN 

Graphs are, moreover, very helpful to a teacher 
in the choice of the right moment to offer special 
help or instruction to her pupils. If, for instance, 
she observes that several children have reached 
the same stage in their work on any given subject, 
she can give them an appointment to meet her to- 
gether on the following day at a fixed hour in the 
laboratory belonging to that subject. These ap- 
pointments should be posted on the students ' gen- 
eral notice board. Any individual or group, or, if 
advisable, the entire class, can be summoned in 
this way for help and consultation. Experience 
has shown us that students appreciate these calls. 

We come now to graph II, or, as it is called, the 
Pupil's Contract Graph, whereby a student can 
watch and record his progress in all the subjects 
of his assignment. Each time he marks the lab- 
oratory graph as I have described he makes a cor- 
responding line for that subject upon his own par- 
ticular graph. It is, as it were, a balance sheet of 
his time. Before beginning work, every morning 
he ought to study it carefully, for it automatically 
reminds him both of his weakness in some subjects 
and of the time which he should set aside to over- 
come that weakness. The Pupil's Contract Graph 
has, we find, done more than anything to inculcate 
the value of time and a sense of responsibility for 
its use. It has also generated a spontaneous de- 
sire to save time so that special difficulties should 
be conquered. These graphs stimulated thor- 
ough work rather than hurried work. The 
pupil's graph is printed in different colours cor- 
responding to the laboratory graphs. 

Most of the headings and spaces on the sample 



THE GRAPH METHOD 



139 



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140 THE DALTON PLAN 

pupil's graph explain themselves, but a brief ex- 
planation of how it is to be used as a record is 
necessary. It will be seen that at the bottom of the 
card, ten spaces are provided for the names of the 
maximum number of subjects a pupil can carry. 
Under these spaces there are similar blanks 
against the word "Test." This word can, of 
course, be interpreted in various ways. I do not 
myself believe that examinations supply any real 
test of a pupil's knowledge or ability. But the 
word and the space have been included in the 
graph for the use of such schools as hold period- 
ical examinations. 

The four spaces marked ''1st week, 2nd week, 
3rd week, 4th week" correspond to the four weekly 
assignments or divisions of any monthly contract. 
In order to indicate the days in a school week each 
weekly partition has five separate spaces. This 
makes it possible for a pupil who has, let us sup- 
pose, done three-fifths of a week's work in mathe- 
matics to draw an upward line through three of 
the five spaces. If he has only completed half a 
week's work he should draw the line through two- 
and-a-half spaces. 

Betty Underwood is twelve years of age, a pupil 
in Form II, who begins her contract job on Octo- 
ber 5th. Only major subjects are entered in her 
graph, and in this, her first assignment, she carries 
Mathematics, History, Geography, English, 
Science, and French. Being a voluntary agent in 
the use of her time, Betty decides on her first day 
to study history. She therefore goes into the his- 
tory laboratory and stays there until she has ex- 
hausted her interest in the history part of her as- 



THE GRAPH METHOD 141 

signment and desires a change of subject. Before 
leaving it she consults the teacher in charge and 
ascertains that she has done the equivalent in time 
of three-fifths of a week's work in history. She 
records this by drawing a line across three spaces 
on the Instructor's Laboratory Graph, and in her 
new Pupil Contract Graph she draws another line 
up through three of the five spaces. At the end of 
each line she places a figure one (1) to show that 
it is her first work day on this particular assign- 
ment. 

Betty then elects to go into the English lab- 
oratory. On reading through the English assign- 
ment she will find that owing to the varied nature 
of the work equivalents in time are given. Gram- 
mar, she is told, will count for two days' work; 
reading for two more days; and composition for 
one day. Being in no mood for composition she 
decides to read, and does all the reading required 
in her assignment. As there is still a little time 
left before twelve o'clock, she attacks her gram- 
mar, finishing half of the amount required. Her 
equivalent is thus one space indicating one day of 
work for grammar and two spaces or two days, 
for reading ; so after drawing a line through three 
spaces on the Instructor's Laboratory Graph, she 
marks the English column on her own graph in the 
same way. 

The entire morning of her second day is spent 
by Betty in the science laboratory. Consequently, 
she not only finishes her first week's assignment in 
science, but also does one day's work of the second 
week's requirementSi To indicate this, she adds 
the figure ' ' 2 " at the end of the graph line which 



142 THE DALTON PLAN 

covers six spaces, showing that the sixth space is 
included in her second day's work of the first 
week. 

The second sample of Graph II shows Betty's 
completed contract, the numbers attached to the 
end of each line indicate the day on which she has 
done a given piece of work. What we constantly 
should note is whether or not the children are com- 
pleting the twenty days' allotted work in twenty 
days or not. 

If Betty had worked for five days and then 
absented herself through illness, upon the day of 
her return to school she would have marked every- 
thing accomplished with a "6." We do not want 
her to feel that she has lost ground but rather to 
measure the ground covered in terms of time 
taken. In this way we can fairly measure her with 
her contemporaries. 

In reading her graph we see that she has 
finished her assignment in the allotted twenty days. 
The figure ''4" entered under the heading '*No. 
of weeks" shows this. But if the assignment had 
taken her twenty-two days she would have added 
the figure ''2" under the heading **No. of days," 
signifying four weeks and two days for the 
monthly contract job. 

On the nineteenth day, though Betty had com- 
pleted her first month's work in mathematics, she 
was not permitted to start the second month's 
work in this subject, because her contract requires 
fulfillment in all its parts before taking on extra 
work in any one part. The object of the Pupil's 
Contract Graph is only to measure laboratory time, 
60 only assigned subjects should be entered there- 



THE GRAPH METHOD 



143 



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144 THE DALTON PLAN 

upon. But before Betty terminates her month she 
will have been submitted to tests or examinations 
during the concurrent oral lessons. Had these 
successive tests revealed that Betty had been able 
to accomplish all her allotted work in, say fifteen 
days, she could safely have been permitted to 
tackle her second month's assignment in mathe- 
matics, for her general written examination would 
be fixed with those of all the pupils in the form at 
the end of the twenty days. It would not be fair 
to make Betty regulate her pace on that of the 
slower pupils. But this is a question which each 
instructor's experience of individual pupils will 
enable her to decide. 

Under the Dalton Plan there is no danger that 
a child will have forgotten by the end of the month 
what she learnt at the beginning. Having studied 
each subject at his own pace at the moment when 
interest was keenest, the knowledge thus acquired 
fixes itself far more deeply in the memory than 
under the old class system, when he was often un- 
willingly forced to cram a lesson for recitation on 
the following day, which faded from his mind im- 
mediately after. 

As I have indicated, in cases where a pupil is 
obliged to interrupt his job owing to absence 
through illness he takes it up on his return at the 
point where he left it. As there are no programme 
conflicts under our method, he can also enter 
school at any time during the term. A child 
simply marks his day on the basis of his accom- 
plishment as he goes on, just as a time contractor 
is paid for his job whatever it may be according to 
the number of days he works at it. 



THE GRAPH METHOD 145 

From the social point of view we have also 
found the graph device invaluable. The tendency 
among members of a form is always to compare 
their graphs. Elder students also develop interest 
in, and sympathy with, the progress of the 
younger children, and frequently help them with- 
out any prompting from the teacher with advice 
on the division of their time and on the best way 
to overcome difficulties of all kinds. Thus group 
control and the sentiment of fraternity spread^k 
through the school to the lasting benefit of all con- 
cerned. 

To become masters not only of their time and 
work, but also of themselves, is a real preparation 
for life where we have to learn to do the work that 
lies before us whether we are interested in it or 
not. And even interest grows out of the sense of 
problems solved and obstacles conquered. As a 
child once remarked to a teacher whom I know: 
* ' You learn that whatever you have to do can be- 
come what you want to do." That child was not 
by any means an abnormally intelligent specimen. 
He was, on the contrary, rather below the average, 
a boy who had after much struggle and persever- 
ance risen above his natural difficulties. And I 
think I can claim that it was the Dalton Plan which 
enabled him to attain self-mastery. 

On the back of the Pupil's Contract Graph there 
is a blank space for a list of suggestions to pupils 
which can be made either by the staff or by a com- 
mittee of students. Here they can be told exactly 
how to use their graphs, and such - recommenda- 
tions as "If you find one laboratoiy crowded it is 



146 THE DALTON PLAN 

advisable to go into another in order to avoid 
wasting your time" may be included. Do not, 
however, let the suggestions degenerate into a list 
of rules. This can be avoided by allowing stu- 
dents to make suggestions from time to time which 
will, moreover, stimulate their imagination as 
well as develop the sense of responsibility. Young 
children may not be capable of this, but girls and 
boys between twelve and twenty should certainly 
be called upon occasionally to make suggestions 
for their own form. 

Graph III is a Form or, as in England, a House 
Graph in which emphasis is placed upon the entire 
number of weeks of work done. For convenience 
it is designed with forty spaces so as to record 
progress in as many as ten subjects. If six major 
subjects out of the curriculum are carried by one 
pupil, then, with four weeks of work to be done in 
each subject, the total contract mil represent 
twenty-four weeks. Five sujbjects represent 
twenty weeks, and so on. Graph III, of which the 
following is a sample, should be marked every 
week either at its beginning or at its close. It may 
be cut to fit the number of weeks required by any 
contract. 

By using a fresh Form or House Graph every 
week we can get a psychological picture of the gen- 
eral progress of each class and of the whole school. 
These records should be dated and carefully pre- 
served in its archives. Graph III should contain 
a space for every pupil in the house or form. We 



\ 



THE GRAPH METHOD 



147 



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148 



THE DALTON PLAN 



will continue Betty's story to illustrate how it 
should be used. 

Assuming that she has done, during one weekly 
period of five days, an equivalent of four days of 
history, three days of English, and five days of 
geography, six days of science, and one day of 
French, or nineteen days in all, we proceed to 
divide nineteen by five in order to establish how 
many weeks of work she has completed towards 
her total. Our result being three and four-fifths, 

Attendance Gkaph 



Day and Date MicJL^dM^ ^J- •'' .q*3 


Names 


A.M. 


P. M. 1 


ON TIME. 


LATE 


ON TIME 


LATE 


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GRAPH IV 



Betty is entitled to mark three spaces and the 
greater part of a fourth space on the Form Graph. 
A fourth graph for the registration of attend- 
ance is used in some day schools, either one graph 
for the whole school if it is small, or one for each 
form if preferred. The Attendance Graph should 
be posted on the hall notice board so that each 
pupil can record the hour of her arrival every 
morning. We have not a printed card for this 
graph, but it is very simple to design. Under the 



THE GRAPH METHOD 149 

date is a list of all the children's names, and 
opposite each two spaces, one headed *' Punctual, " 
the other headed ' * Late. " Good timekeepers mark 
their arrival in the first space, the late ones record 
the exact time — which they can see on the clock 
that should hang above the notice board — ^when 
they reach school. The absence of any pupil is in- 
dicated by the blank space. 



CHAPTER VIII 

Teaching and Learning 

Personally I am of opinion that teaching has been 
done more efficiently throughout the world than 
many critics of our educational system realize. 
Our schools contain a large number of instructors 
who possess a wide knowledge both of the subjects 
they teach and of the methods of handling and 
.simplifying that knowledge. If we fail to recog- 
nize the high level the teacher frequently attains 
it is because teaching so often proves ineffective — 
because the learner does not learn. The truth is 
that we have hitherto confused the problems of 
teaching and of learning, or, rather, treated them 
as if they were not two problems, but one. We 
have not hitherto appreciated the fact that teach- 
ing is simply like taking the horse to the water. It 
can, on the old system, no more make the learner 
learn than the leader of the horse can make him 
drink. 

Teachers are not, however, to blame because our 
school machinery has been carefully built up from 
the point of view not of pupil, but of the instructor. 
At best, the most skilful teacher can only erect an 
educational tent over her class. She may erect it 

150 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 151 

dramatically in expert fashion, but as tlie crowd 
of pupils assembled under it are individuals who 
vary widely in mental and moral equipment, only 
a small proportion of them will be able to follow 
or to assimilate her efforts. The bulk of them will 
find the tent either too small or too large for them. 
They will be near to or far from the ''speaker's 
idea." It is after all her work, not their work; 
her speed, not their speed; her interest, not their 
interest. Not until learning is envisaged from the 
learner's point of view will our youth come out 
from school really educated. Not until school ma- 
chinery is reorganized and the energies of the 
pupils released from the time-table and the class- 
tent will they begin to develop that initiative, re- 
sourcefulness, and concentration which are the in- 
dispensable preliminaries to the process of learn- 
ing. 

Under the old system the teacher has become 
the chief actor in the play. She is, perhaps uncon- 
sciously, occupied in trying to impress her person- 
ality and her ideas upon the children. But the 
Dalton Plan reverses these parts and gives the 
child's personality a chance; the teacher's part 
being to accompany the enfolding life step by step. 
This is not to relegate the instructor to an inferior 
plane. To understand the child and to keep pace 
with his groAvth she must grow herself, for the 
same fundamental laws that govern growth pre- 
vail on every successive plane. 

The true business of school is not to chain the 



152 THE DALTON PLAN 

pupil to preconceived ideas, but to set him free to 
discover his own ideas and to help him to bring all 
his powers to bear upon the problem of learning. 
A contract job upon which he must exercise his in- 
genuity is in the nature of a challenge to which he 
responds automatically. Even if at first he does 
not know quite w^hat to do with his responsibility, 
experience and freedom together will soon bring 
understanding. Experience is the best and indeed 
the only real teacher. 

Parents have often asked me why it is that bad 
language and bad habits wield such a fascination 
over children. The reason, I believe, is that in 
adopting them he is conscious and has the joy of 
acting as a voluntary agent. As such he often 
seizes upon and forms a habit which no amount of 
punishment will divest him of. The attraction lies 
not so much in the evil thing, itself, but in the sym- 
bol of freedom which it represents. Thus he de- 
lights in the sense of liberty his voluntary adop- 
tion of it gives hun. Why not let him have this 
same sensation in connection with work and learn- 
ing? 

**At what age," I have also been asked, '^does 
a child become sufficiently conscious of his experi- 
ences to profit by them?" I am inclined to think 
that at nine or ten the normal child is capable of 
appreciating his experiences, and that he should 
then begin to learn to organize his work on that 
basis. He ought, at that age, to be ready for his 
first job. Certain facts must, however, be kept in 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 153 

mind in any consideration of a child's educational 
needs. There are, roughly speaking, three sepa- 
rate periods of development which should be taken 
into account. Up to the age of eight the child 
should be allowed such freedom as will develop his 
individual powers so that he can function later as 
a responsible member of the group. This is the 
reason for, and the purpose of, freedom. During 
the second, or pre-adolescent, period, between 
eight and twelve, he must acquire the ** tools of 
knowledge." These will prepare him for adoles- 
cence, between twelve and twenty, which is the 
third stage in his development. This last, owing 
to the physical change it brings, is the most diffi- 
cult, from the point of view of work and concentra- 
tion. Unless we help the child to build up its 
character in the pre-adolescent period there is a 
danger of his following the line of least resistance 
during the critical years of adolescence because he 
will not have sufficient intellectual ballast. 

Liberty is at all ages equally vital to the child, 
for he is as truly an individual in infancy as at any 
later stage of his life. The Dalton Laboratory 
Plan is designed as a step towards the solution of 
those problems which are peculiar to the second 
and third periods of his evolution. 

In infant schools w^here freedom of work is prac- 
tised, the teacher prepares and presents a grada- 
tion of stimuli in the form of material objects. 
The careful presentation of these objects at the 
time when they appeal to the child is enough to 



z. 



154 THE DALTON PLAN 

lead him, step by step, tlirough' the various sub- 
jects of a curriculum. It is evident that at this 
stage the teacher is really the controlling lever. 
The extent of control and the benefit derived by 
the child is determined by the character of the 
material objects placed in his environment. 

At the pre-adolescent stage of a child's life the 
problem changes with his growth. Now, in addi- 
tion to freedom and a selected equipment, the 
pupil should begin to play a part in initiating and 
organizing his own pursuits. His released energy 
and intelligence must be used to achieve some pur- 
pose of which he is really conscious. Here the ex- 
tent of his achievement depends upon his ability 
to organize not only his studies and his equip- 
ment, but his time to better and better advantage. 
This means organizing his life, then and there- 
after. In infancy, the power of concentration is 
shoMTi by prolonged attention, whereas in pre- 
adolescence concentration is apt to become of 
shorter duration, but of much higher power. The 
pupil then requires another kind of freedom. At 
the earlier stage environment was so conditioned 
as to control and develop him, now he should con- 
tinue his development by learning to control his 
lenvironment. If he is not permitted to do this the 
power he generates at this age may control him 
unless he learns to control it. t 

Modern psychology and its discoveries throw 
much light upon pre-adolescent problems. It 
teaches us to replace the inductive methods, dear 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 155 

to the old school of pedagogy, by deductive 
methods. We have now learnt that a general idea 
of the thing to be accomplished is essential, not 
only for the fundamental purpose of arousing the 
child's interest, but also so that he may intellectu- 
ally appreciate the purpose of the demands made 
upon him. The goal to be aimed at is to the child 
like a carrot to a donkey — it keeps him moving on- 
wards. A project ahead, provided for in terms of 
a contract job, is the best illustration of the deduc- 
tive method. When the child has a project in 
front of him, which he has determined to carry out, 
his interest may be temporarily, but is never per- 
manently, side-tracked. The same thing holds 
good in adult life. Without projects it would not 
be worth living, nor should we be able to live it to 
any purpose. 

tJntil the Dalton Laboratory Plan showed the 
new and better way many teachers, while cherish- 
ing a theoretical faith in freedom for the child, 
seem never to have discovered how to reconcile 
this idea with. the task of carrying out a curric- 
ulum. They have regarded the problem as if it 
consisted of two irreconcilable elements instead 
of realizing that only by liberating the pupil can 
the curriculum ever be thoroughly and satisfac- 
torily carried out. The new method demonstrates 
this unify, and in so doing changes the attitudes 
of both teacher and pupil towards the work to be 
done and towards each other. 

If the curriculum is gradually mastered by the 



156 THE DALTON PLAN 

liberated pupil in his pre-adolescent period, he will 
possess a body of correlated knowledge which will 
serve as a ballast for adolescence. Armed with 
the ''tools of knowledge," that stage may be pro- 
ductive of wider powers for building a super- 
structure of real culture upon a sure foundation. 
Without this fundamental basis he will have noth- 
ing but sand to build upon and may even lose the 
desire to build altogether. 

But modern psychology can help us still morei 
in the testing of individual capacity among pupils. 
If such tests do not cure the weakness of chil- 
dren who are subjected to them they do reveal those 
weaknesses very clearly. On one occasion an emi- 
nent psychologist applied a series of such tests to 
pupils in a large secondary school in England. 
They showed that the students varied enormously 
in their mental power. The discovered individual 
capacity was recorded by a number known as the 
*' intelligence quotient," or, as scientists call it, the 
"I.Q." In this instance it ranged from high to 
low, but, strange to say, the academic accomplish- 
ment of these pupils was not found to correspond 
to their intelligence quotient. Many pupils with 
a low "I.Q." far excelled the achievements of 
others with a high ' ' I.Q. " This demonstrated that 
the conditions prevailing in that school were not 
calculated to permit mentally superior students to 
do justice to their capacity. Fourteen months 
later, after the school had been reorganized on the 
Dalton Plan, a similar test was made. To my 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 157 

great satisfaction the tests revealed that the most 
intelligent students had, through this method, at- 
tained the highest accomplishment worthy of their 
powers, the lowest accomplishment coinciding with 
the lowest intelligence quotient. I strongly recom- 
mend school principals to have recourse to these 
psychological tests — which should, of course, be 
applied by an expert unconnected with the estab- 
lishment — both before the adoption of the Dalton 
Plan and again a year after it has been put into 
operation. If at the end of the second year the 
test were again applied, and revealed a failure on 
the part of any individual pupil to do work com- 
mensurate with his "I.Q.," then that pupil should 
be regarded as an abnormal case for whom a 
special curriculum should be devised. His failure 
will probably be traced to some defect of health 
or character. 

Of course, schools, like individuals, possess dif- 
ferences, and occasionally very marked differ- 
ences, of character and personality. Some will 
therefore be slower than others to adapt them- 
selves to the new organization. But the difficulty 
found in adjusting the school collectively to the 
fresh angle of vision is merely proof of the great 
necessity of the change. Patience is essential in 
getting over the transition period. When an auto- 
mobile is being overhauled the machine is at a 
standstill. It is the same with a pupil struggling 
with the new freedom the new plan gives him. 
While a child is striving to master an inert or a 



158 THE DALTON PLAN 

disorderly mind, he will, to all appearances, be at 
a standstill like the motor. Only when he has 
learnt how to work will he begin to make progress, 
but once in good working condition his speed and 
efl&ciency should be evident. I have come in con- 
tact with many pupils of excellent ability who, 
after four years of school had very poor records 
of accomplishment. This failure could almost in- 
variably be traced to the fact that such pupils had 
habitually used their energy and intelligence to 
avoid work and to create discord in the school. 
Several months were required to correct these 
habits. But as soon as their natural talents were 
redirected under the Dalton Plan I have often 
noticed that children who were formerly recalci- 
trant came out best in the end and surpassed all 
rivals. I may also add that those teachers who, at 
the beginning, were doubtful of, and even hostile 
to, the new method, frequently became its most en- 
thusiastic supporters. A little tact in the inaugu- 
jation of the change will conjure many of the 
initial difficulties. Do not introduce it to the 
pupils with a long sermon on the amount of good 
it will do them. The best way is to explain it as 
simply as possible, taking care that its mechanism, 
especially as regards the graphs, is thoroughly 
understood. It is advisable, moreover, to proceed 
by degrees. Instructors should first of all learn 
to make assignments. Let at least one month 
elapse before making any experiment in interac- 
tion of groups, which means socialization. When 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 159 

the pupils are thoroughly conversant with the new 
plan of individual work, an interaction of groups 
in two or three laboratories where the teachers 
are eager and expert may be attempted. Later 
on, such co-operation can be extended so as to em- 
brace the whole school. 

In the beginning there will probably be a wide 
divergence in the time spent by each individual in 
the completion of his contract. To a certain ex- 
tent this can be regulated by dividing the assign- 
ment into minimum, medium, and maximum, as I 
have already indicated in a previous chapter. The 
Dalton Plan, when put into operation, will grad- 
ually reveal the different rates of speed and capac- 
ity of the different pupils. Regular examina- 
tions are usually found to be unnecessary after a 
time for the generality of students. I have found 
in the instance of younger children that it is use- 
ful to set apart fifteen minutes each morning to 
enable pupils to collect their ideas and their ma- 
terials before settling down to work, and also to 
report, say, on two mornings out of the five to 
their class or house adviser, for consultation on 
the use of time to be distributed to eliminate a sub- 
ject difficulty. The matter of oral lessons must 
largely be left to the judgment of each instructor, 
and to her knowledge of the individual pupils. I 
would like, however, to impress upon all instruc- 
tors the necessity of abandoning the old idea of 
trying to keep the class or form together. It is a 
fallacy which, in view of the difference of speed 



160 THE DALTON PLAN 

and ability in pupils, has never been, and can 
never be, a reality. Five pupils can no more be 
kept together than forty, and the sooner teachers 
get rid of this illusion which haunts the minds of 
some of them the better it will be for the school. 
Keeping together implies coercion, and the chief 
aim of the Dalton Plan is to abolish coercion in 
any shape. It envisages as much the liberation 
of the teacher as the liberation of the child. 

Under it, both should function to better advan- 
tage. Her more intimate observation of child 
nature and the importation of pleasure and in- 
terest into the lives and work of the children 
should wield an immense expansive influence upon 
the personality of the teacher. She will no longer 
be engaged in thrusting information down unwill- 
ing throats, or in exacting uninteresting tasks 
from apathetic pupils. From being the pursuer 
the teacher becomes, under the Dalton Plan, the 
pursued, whose advice and sympathy is sought 
and valued. And this change of relationship is re- 
flected not only in the success and happiress of 
the children, but also in the success and happiness 
of the teacher. 

In order to give concrete illustrations of this 
change of attitude I asked seven instructors all in 
the same school to state frankly their opinion on 
the new plan, and what it means to each of them. 
In this particular school the plan has been for two 
37-ears in operation, and none of the teachers had 
any idea of writing for publication. 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 161 

The history man wrote as follows : 

''When I came to teach under the Dalton Lab- 
oratory Plan two years ago, with ten years' ex- 
perience in the regulation schools behind me, I ap- 
proached my new problems with great interest, 
but not without some wonder and doubt as to the 
merits of the new plan. I went into it with eyes 
open, eager to find therein a better means of train- 
ing the child and making him a better citizen. 

"One of the first things I discovered was that 
under the Dalton Plan I could arouse much more 
interest and enthusiasm for history in the chil- 
dren than under the old system. This was because 
the children went at their work, seeing beforehand 
the whole job and the purpose of it all. The 
monthly assignments did that. I can still remem- 
ber how I hated history when I was at school my- 
self, how I loathed the thought of reading ''the 
next seven pages," not having any idea what I 
was moving towards ! Under the Dalton Plan the 
children do know what they are moving towards, 
and I find that the children, without exception, are 
actively interested in history. Such interest on 
the child's part begets enthusiasm on the part of 
the teacher to make his assignments more attrac- 
tive than ever, and to build up a lasting enthu- 
siasm for the subject. 

"The Dalton Laboratory Plan gives a teacher a 
great opportunity to know the child, an opportu- 
nity which he can never get in dealing with a class, 
no matter how much he tries. Here the teacher is 



162 THE DALTON PLAN 

more the big brother and friend than he is a pre- 
ceptor or instructor. He deals with a child indi- 
vidually, and so gets more intimately acquainted 
with him. The teacher is merely one member of 
the social circle, and the child goes to him with 
problems to talk over just as one person in a com- 
munity goes to an older friend. There is a won- 
derful opportunity for the teacher in this, and 
also a wonderful responsibility. 

' * The problem of discipline is greatly simplified 
under the plan. Where the child is impelled to his 
work by interest, he will naturally be a better 
citizen in his school than where he is trying to 
'put something over' on his arch enemy, the 
teacher. Of course, in the beginning there is some- 
times a thoughtless child who disturbs and upsets 
the equilibrium of his neighbours, just as such in- 
dividuals are always found in a community. 
Pupils of this sort are cared for and put in their 
places by public opinion among their fellows. 
Disciplinary action b}'' the teacher becomes rare. 

''The Dalton Laboratory Plan means to me a 
blessed relief from the deadly routine of the class- 
room and a great opportunity to study individuals 
and by learning their needs to help them to de- 
velop into strong characters and useful citi- 
zens." E. W. B., History Instructor. 

The geography mistress sent this statement: 
"If I were asked what feature of the Dalton Lab- 
oratory Plan appeals to me most, I should specify 
the co-operative relation between pupil and 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 163 

teacher which develops under it. Every child in 
my department now appears to me as an interest- 
ing and sympathetic person, with qualities and ca- 
pacities of which, in many cases, I should hardly 
have suspected the existence. The children, on the 
other hand, regard the teacher as a friendly ex- 
pert engaged with them upon a highly important 
piece of work. 

''The denial of the creative impulse of the 
worker in the interest of cheap quantity produc- 
tion, and the sharp class barriers erected between 
employer and employee have their counterparts 
in the school of to-day. The adoption of the Dal- 
ton Plan, after a period of academic and auto- 
cratic teaching, might almost be compared to a re- 
turn to the Mediaeval Guild System with demo- 
cratic intercourse between master and apprentice, 
and respect for work as the corner-stone. 

"It would be a mistake, however, to assume that 
less ground is covered under the Dalton Plan than 
under the old system. The reverse is generally 
the case, because the children are stimulated by 
the assumption of responsibility to greater effort. 
The plan does not pretend to lend itself to the 
hasty covering of an elaborate curriculum, nor to 
the acquisition of large amounts of pre-digested 
intellectual food. " L. R. 

The science man expresses himself as follows: 
*'In working under the Dalton Plan the teacher 
finds himself confronted with an experience that 
is both new and pleasing. He finds' to his surprise 



164 THE DALTON PLAN 

that the majority of pupils approach their work 
with an interest and enthusiasm which, under the 
old system, was confined to a very small minority. 
The teacher's former role of the driver who 
handed out bits of pre-digested information has 
changed. He now becomes the true helper whose 
advice is sought on many and varied problems 
which are very real to the children. They are no 
longer working to escape his criticism, or to re- 
ceive his plaudits, but rather toward the accom- 
plishment of a definite task. Each child feels that 
the work of all is his own particular task, and the 
teacher becomes his councillor who will help him 
to achieve it. This spirit of enthusiasm is con- 
tagious, and the laggards are usually carried 
along with it. This is, perhaps, the first impres- 
sion that the instructor receives who works for the 
first time under the Dalton Plan, and, as in the 
case of the children, his enthusiasm is whetted at 
the start." R. D. 0. 

The English mistress is equally appreciative : 

**1. The Dalton Plan offers the advantages of 
individual work. It leads to an understanding of 
the child and an appreciation of his difficulties. 

"2. A feeling of sympathy and friendship be- 
tween teacher and child is established. The child 
comes to consider the teacher a helper and friend^ 
and approaches her with many of his own prob- 
lems. 

"3. There is real joy in w^orking with spon- 
taneous children. The plan creates spontaneity. 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 165 

**4. The work is stimulating. Each individual 
presents his work in a different way, and this re- 
leases the teacher from a monotonous and set 
method of teaching. 

''5. The actual writing of assignments each 
month tends to systematize the plan of work. 

**6. The teacher has an opportunity to devote 
her time and energy to teaching because the prob- 
lem of discipline makes itself a small factor." 
C.K. 

The mathematics mistress reports : 

*'From the Pupils' Standpoint. In my opinion 
the pupil is the one who derives the greatest bene- 
fit from the Dalton Plan, and rightly so. If there 
was ever a time in the world's history when we 
needed people who could think and act inde- 
pendently, now is that time. Much of the failure 
in present-day politics is due to the fact that poli- 
ticians are the slaves of other men's opinions. A 
pupil who works on the Dalton Plan cannot help 
doing his oa\ti thinking. He must rely upon his 
own resource, and surely that is what is expected 
of him in after life. 

**Many people can do certain things well, but 
they fail lamentably when it comes to fitting those 
things into a larger scheme. It seems to me that 
the system of monthly assignments gives pupils a 
big outlook on their work. No matter how well 
they do one subject, the whole task is not satisfac- 
tory unless all the parts fit in. The completed 
task is like a large building which will collapse if 



166 THE DALTON PLAN 

one girder is weak. The children seem to realize 
that each subject must come up to a certain stand- 
ard if their month 's work is to be a success. 

''From the Teacher's Standpoint. I feel sure 
that the average teacher would enjoy her work 
much more under the Dalton Plan than under the 
old class system. She can be free and at ease with- 
out losing her dignity. It is a great relief not to 
feel stilted and unnatural towards one's pupils. 
Now one feels like an older friend advising a 
younger one. 

''Much of the failure of the old system was due 
to the fact that the teacher often found it impos- 
sible to locate the difficulties of the different 
pupils. A pupil cannot work even one day on the 
new plan before the teacher has found out some of 
his weaknesses. This simplifies her task. 

"A really good teacher only tells her pupils 
what they cannot find out for themselves. We do 
not remember what we are told, but we do re- 
member what we have to work hard to get." 
C. H. P. 

After a year's experience of the Dalton Plan it 
was extended to the department of Art and Music, 
and though at first the teachers in these subjects 
had a good deal of difficulty in reorganizing their 
work on the new plan, they became as enthu- 
isiastic as their colleagues when its beneficial in- 
fluence became apparent in better work and a finer 
spirit. 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 167 

I give here the comments of these two instruc- 
tors: 

The art mistress says; ''I like the atmosphere 
the Dalton Laboratory Plan creates in the labora- 
tory. It is industrious, the children having come 
because of interest. It is thoughtful, the children 
intent on working out for themselves their prob- 
lems through the assignments, asking help of the 
teacher only when a point needs further explana- 
tion. It is spontaneous, the children being able to 
get at the teacher when she is most needed at the 
particular time of their interest. It is quiet and 
orderly, inspiring one to work. 

*' Quite frankly, I am surprised to find how much 
I enjoy the Dalton Laboratory Plan. On the whole 
I now enjoy the laboratory period more than the 
class time. The class time is helpful in checking 
up the individuals as a class and so forth. 

''I like the opportunity the Dalton Laboratory 
Plan gives for individual work. The teacher has 
more freedom so that she can help a child as long 
as seems necessary. The other children, having 
the assignment to work from, will not be losing 
time while she is thus occupied. 

''The Dalton Laboratory Plan eliminates re- 
peated directions, for the directions are all writ- 
ten out clearly in the assignment and the slower 
children can re-read them as many times as neces- 
sary for their understanding of the problem," 
H. T. B. 



168 THE DALTON PLAN 

The music mistress states: **The Dalton Lab- 
oratory Plan strikes a new note in musical educa- 
tion. It gives an opportunity for individual ex- 
pression which was not possible in class work. 

''Often the child's apparent lack of musical 
appreciation is due to a command which he is not 
prepared to execute. As a result he acts through 
imitation. Under the Dalton Laboratory Plan his 
own experiments and experiences in music make 
him feel that music is a part of himself. 

' ' Inaccuracies are more apparent and irritating 
in music than in other subjects. Only when diffi- 
culties are eliminated through individual work is 
a child's appreciation extended, or is he able to 
do his part in group work, i.e., in the singing of 
part songs, in the orchestra, and so on. 

"The Dalton Laboratory Plan permits the 
teacher to work with the children's undiluted in- 
terest. Personally I find that it gives me a feel- 
ing of great satisfaction. There is a thoroughness 
and a real progress without the interrupting and 
ruinous drill. The problems of discipline are elim- 
inated and I find demonstrated in the attitude of 
the children as they work in the laboratory the 
real harmony for which one always aims." A. D. 

In order to complete the picture I quote some 
opinions gathered from pupils of eight to twelve 
years. These children belonged to fourteen differ- 
ent nationalities, and their views given orally and 
taken down by a stenographer at the time were 
quite spontaneous. 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 169 

Question. ''We have never discussed the plan of 
work used by the school since we began to use 
it. As I do not know how you feel about the 
plan I would appreciate your telling me 
whether you like it or not. I am asking for 
information. ' ' 

L , aged 12 years. "In this school a person 

that can't work as quickly as others in a par- 
ticular subject takes that much more 
time for that subject and finishes all there is 
to be done. I like it for that reason. The 
record cards make each boy and girl do their 
work quicker because they can see just how 
much they have accomplished. They do the 
work better because they all want to finish 
their assignments, and the contract cards keep 
them in touch with each other's work. ]ii 
other schools if you are sent into the mathe- 
matics room with your class you can't change 
and go into the English room when you're 
tired. But in our school, if you have been do- 
ing mathematics for some time you can 
change and go into some other room for a 
little while and then go back to mathematics 
if you want to. In other schools you have to 
work every minute, and if you try to stop to 
rest for a minute they make you go on. Here 
you can stop and rest and then get down to 
harder work again. ' ' 

D , aged 10 years. *'If you are doing geog- 
raphy in other schools you take an awfully 
long time and don 't finish, and then you have 
to go to mathematics, and you just sit there 
and waste time because you have done the 



170 THE DALTON PLAN 

mathematics already. In this school you can 
take the time saved on mathematics and put it 
with the geography time, and have enough time 
to get the geography finished right. If you 
study home work at night you are tired in 
school, and if you are made to work you don't 
do it well. Here, if you are too tired to work, 
you just sit still and read, and then pretty 
soon you feel like doing it. You never do 
things well that you are made to do. ' ' 

H , aged 9 years. ''When you don't get a cer- 
tain amount of work done in other schools 
you have to take it home and study it, and that 
makes you awfully tired. Here you just go on 
with it the next day. After a hard day's work 
at school you don't feel like studying at home. 
I like the plan because each one has ample 
time to do his work in, and if you get tired of 
doing one thing you can do another thing. I 
like the work better than I do in other schools. 
My main reason is that when you are absent 
you can begin to make up your work the next 
day. In other schools they may give you 50 
minutes to do work, and it doesn't take you 
all that time, or sometimes they give you too 
little. You have to have just enough time to 
be suitable. ' ' 

G , aged 10 years. *'I like the plan because 

we can go on and do our work and not be held 
back by children who are slower, and also be- 
cause we can work hard and get through 
quickly, and get credit for the work we do 
well." 

W J aged 11 years. *'In some schools when 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 171 

you go into arithmetic you have to do arith- 
metic for half an hour, and you have to do so 
much that you get mixed up. Here, when you 
begin to get tired and can't make your mind 
work right on one thing, you can go into an- 
other room and forget all about the first thing, 
so you don't get muddled up. Later, you can 
do the first thing. ' ' 

A , aged 9 years. ''At the end of the month, 

if you do your work very well, you are re- 
warded by your own satisfaction, and besides 
that, you may be put in a higher class." 

Question-. "Wouldn't you like to have some 
other reward given to you — a medal or a book 
or something you very much wanted?" 

Answer. ''No, that's not necessary, the satisfac- 
tion is enough. I'd rather just go ahead." 

Question. "At the beginning of the year I don't 
think you liked the plan at all, and you did not 
do as good work. What was the trouble f 

(This question was unfair, but it was given 
as a challenge.) 

V , aged 9 years. "We were so glad to get 

into a school where we could be let alone for a 
little while that we took a vacation. ' ' 

E , aged 9 years. "At the beginning of the 

year everybody was thinking more about 
other things than about the work." 

P , aged 10 years. "We did not understand 

how to work." 

G , aged 9 years. "In the beginning, we were 

still a little shy because we did not know the 
teachers and what they expected of us. We 



172 THE DALTON PLAN 

hadn't been used to the way of working here, 
and we had been used to all taking the same 
subject at once, and then we didn't get the 
same attention. ' ' 

aged 9 years. *'At the beginning they 



were used to another way, and it took them 
some time to understand. ' ' 

Question. "Do you feel you need a recess in the 
morning?" (We call a ''break" a recess.) 
They all said ''No." One boy, aged 10 years, 
explained, "No, we take a recess ourselves 
when we are tired. We can sit down and 
read." 

Question". "You have told all the nice things, 
what about the faults of the plan?" The 
children said they had no fault to find with it. 
This was unanimous. 

One boy was appointed by the other children to 
come to me afterwards. I was at tea with a small 
group of people when the child came in. He said : 
"I beg your pardon, may I speak to you I" My 
reply was: "Certainly, what is it?" He said, 
quietly: "It is something private. May we step 
into the next room ? " I went immediately. Then 
he proceeded: "I don't want to be rude. Miss 
Parkhurst, but the children think you do not like 
the plan. They like it very much, and they have 
sent me to ask you why you don't like it? Aren't 
you going to get behind it ? " ( He meant ' ' support 
it.") 

I assured him that I was interested and would, 



TEACHING AND LEARNING 173 

to tlie best of my ability, ' ' get behind the plan. ' ' I 
sincerely appreciated the interest shown in their 
challenge. It became, from that moment, more 
than ever theie plan, and I was helped to a better 
perspective. 

The children in this school have no "home 
work," though they are supplied with cultural 
reading lists as a guide for filling unoccupied time. 
Some of the boys entered the school with very 
poor records, one or two having been in four dif- 
ferent schools in as many years. When their 
energy was harnessed by the Dalton Plan to a real 
30b, the majority gave an excellent account of 
themselves, and even the slowest child got through 
his year's assignment. The staff agree that the 
children have become more simple, straightfor- 
ward, and enthusiastic, and free from emotional 
conflicts. The nervous mannerisms with which a 
few were afflicted have disappeared. As a body 
they are mature, but not in the least sophisticated. 
They have, in a word, found themselves. 

In conclusion, there is one point w^hich I want to 
emphasize. The Dalton Laboratory Plan must 
not be regarded as a cast-iron scheme. I offer it 
as a first step towards the evolution of a scheme of 
education which will develop the creative faculty 
in both teachers and pupils. I have been animated 
in elaborating it by a desire to remedy some of the 
ills our schools are heirs to, and especially the 
worst of these, which is, I believe, the absence of 
opportunity for the learner to learn. Teachers 



174 THE DALTON PLAN 

go to training colleges to acquire tlie art of teach- 
ing before they practise it, so pupils should be 
given the chance to acquire the art of study before 
they can be expected to learn. I am content that 
the Dalton Plan, which I have not even sought to 
brand with my name, should be judged by its fruits. 
Those fruits have already, on the testimony of 
numerous teachers and pupils, changed for the bet- 
ter the mental and spiritual life of the schools to 
which the plan has been applied. This testimony 
gives me faith that the benefits there reaped will be 
ultimately carried into the social and politic life of 
the world. I do not claim to have perfected my plan. 
Many minds must concentrate and co-operate upon 
it if it is to be a living and vital thing. If it stimu- 
lates sufficient interest to attract the finest 
energies of the educational profession to the task, 
I shall be amply rewarded for my part of the great 
work. 



CHAPTER IX 

A Yeae's Expekiment in an English Secondaey 
School* 

By Rosa Bassett, M.B.E., M.A., Head Mistress 
Streatham County Secondary School 

The article in the Times Educational Supplement 
of May 27th, 1920, set many people thinking. The 
Dalton Plan seemed so simple in its conception, so 
far-reaching in its possibilities, that one wondered 
why it had never been thought of before. 

We, although a large school now of over 700 
girls, decided to try the experiment as soon as we 
could. Thanks to the broad views of the Board of 
Education and of the London County Council we 
have been able to test it for over a year, with the 
result that we feel it enlists, more than any other 
plan does, the co-operation of the pupil in her edu- 
cation. It has undoubtedly made her study more 
than before, though its effects may not be at once 
apparent, for naturally the ordinary testing de- 
vices cannot gauge the growth of the child's under- 
standing. We are, in fact, but slowly finding out 
how to test intelligence. 

* Reprinted by kind permission of the' Times, 
175 



176 THE DALTON PLAN 

The plan seems quite simple in America because 
there pupils in a High School rarely carry more 
than six major subjects. In an English school 
most students carry nine or ten, but the plan is 
carried out better in an English Public School be- 
cause we have more freedom here. It is carried 
out better, too, in an English school because the 
teachers are better trained and better qualified 
and have more freedom and leisure than in an 
American High School. Of course, the plan suc- 
ceeds only when the staff is capable and keen as 
well as qualified and trained. It is due to the 
hearty co-operation of the staff here that we have 
been able to undertake it at all. 

At the beginning of each month every girl re- 
ceives a syllabus of work to be done in each sub- 
ject. One lesson at least is given in each subject 
during the week, the subject matter to be taken in 
these lessons being usually indicated in the sylla- 
bus. 

The whole of Tuesday morning and part of 
three afternoons are devoted to class lessons. 
There is a fixed time-table for these occasions. In 
addition to this, the third forms have lessons on 
Thursday morning: thus the greater part of the 
school have all Monday, Wednesday, and Thurs- 
day mornings for free study. There is group work 
on Friday mornings. Each mistress announces 
beforehand the topics to be dealt with; she may 
perhaps summon some individuals to attend, but 
in the main attendance is voluntary. 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 177 

Subjects are, as far as possible, studied in sub- 
ject rooms, where the subject mistress may be con- 
sulted. Each girl is expected to see the mistress 
at least once a week on an average, apart from set 
lessons. She may, of course, stay the whole ses- 
sion in one room if she wishes. The mistress is al- 
ways there to advise her, or to correct her work. 
There are subject libraries in the subject rooms. 

Every girl must be present at the set lessons, 
but apart from this she may arrange her working 
time at school and at home as she pleases. Her 
free time at school is 34 periods of 40 minutes 
each, minus set lesson periods; her home work 
periods should not be more than from 5 to 15 in a 
week, according to her position in the school. She 
is responsible for giving the right proportion of 
time during the month to all the subjects in her 
'ijurriculum, and she indicates on the charts in the 
subject rooms the time she has given and the 
amount of work she has done. 

A girl must satisfy the subject mistress before 
she begins the next syllabus. This may be estab- 
lished by test, or by any method that the mistress 
finds most suitable for the girl. 

Assignments. 

Assignments are given in three parts in each 
subject. 

1. Lower. This should be within the range 
of the slowest girl in the class, and must be 
done by all. 



178 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Middle. Gives opportunity for wider 
reading and deeper thought. 

3. Higher. Encourages the brilliant girl 
to study as far as she can go. 

Middle and Higher pupils do not encroach on 
the next month's assignment. Girls choose grades 
for themselves ; sometimes the weakest have to be 
advised not to attempt too much. 
Appoktionment of Periods (subjects and forms). 

The first column gives total periods that should 
be spent weekly (lessons and study at home and in 
school). The second column gives number of class 
lessons. Optional subjects are shown by an 
asterisk. 



Forms : 














Total 
Lessons. 


Total 
Lessons. 


Total 

Lessons. 


Total 
Lessons. 


Total 
Lessons. 


Scripture 

English 


1 1 

5 2 
3 1 
3 1 

6 4 

6 2 

2 1 

3 2 
3 1 

3 1 

2 2 

3 3 


1 1 

6 2 
6 2 

6 3 

6 3 
6 2 
3 1 

3 1 

1 1 

2 2 


1 1 

6 2 

6 2 
6 2 

6 3* 

6 2 
6 2 
3 1 

3 1 

3 1 

1 1 

2 2 


1 1 

6 2 

6 2 

6 2 

6 2* 
3 1 
6 2* 
6 2 
3 1 

3 1 

or 
3 1 

1 1 

2 2 


1 1 
6 1 


History 




Geography 

French 


6 1 
6 1 


2nd Foreign 

Language 

Arithmetic 

Mathematics 

Science 


6 2 

6 2 

6 2 


Drawing 


1 1 


Needlework 

Cooking 


plus 
3 2* 


Singing 

Gym. and Games . 


1 1 

2 2 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 179 

History and geography are taken in alternate 
years by the third and fourth forms, and for half 
the year each in the lower fifth form. In the upper 
fifth pupils may take either subject, or both. 

A teacher does not necessarily give a lesson in 
the class lesson period. She may merely give an 
explanation or direction and allow the class to 
study during the rest of the period. 

Ideally, all work should be carried on in the sub- 
ject rooms ; in reality, with us, a certain amount of 
work has to be carried on in the Hall. Although 
every mistress has outside her door a table show- 
ing on what days, or parts of days, the room is 
open to certain forms or open to all, it sometimes 
happens that a child starts out with books for two 
or three subjects in her arms and finds each of 
those subject rooms crowded. In that case she has 
to work in the Hall. Both in subject rooms and in 
the Hall girls are allowed to work quietly together. 
This is another reason for the gradual lessening 
of subject antipathies. 

Our School "Parliament" voices from time to 
time protests against overcrowded rooms and the 
selfishness of individuals who borrow reference 
books from the libraries and leave them at home. 

We have learnt much from the children. We 
occasionally invite their comments, and when we 
do these are candidly and generously given. We 
have frequently followed the children's sugges- 
tions and amended our plans to the advantage of 
both school and staff. 



180 THE DALTON PLAN 

The following is a typical set of questions given 
to the school at the end of the first year of work 
under the Dalton Plan : 

1. Does this system alter your outlook in regard 
to books and reading? 

2. In which subject or subjects have you im- 
proved? 

3. In which subject do you consider you have not 
gained? 

4. Do you agree with girls working together? 
Does it benefit them? 

5. Wliat are the advantages of this system? 

6. How would you improve it? 

7. What are the disadvantages? 

The answers were scribbled down rapidly by the 
pupils gathered together for the purpose in the 
school hall, and were handed in anonymously, 
marked only with the pupils' age, before the meet- 
ing dispersed- There are over 700 girls in the 
school, but we need consider only six answers 
which, by their frankness or naivete, throw light 
on the spontaneous reaction of the pupils to their 
environment. 

1. *'It has made me more fond of books, and it 
has improved my reading. It has also taught 
me to express myself better in essays. " 
*' Books interest me more now, for one thing, 
if I get through my syllabus quickly I have 
more time to read." 
''I think that this has made me read more 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 181 

books, because I look up things and then read 
the whole book. ' ' 

*'I prefer the widened library. Reading has 
helped me a lot. I like the new and more 
interesting books we now have in the library 
{e.g., New Liberty) better than old books of 
plain facts, etc." 

'* Under the old scheme I should have depended 
on hearing what a mistress would tell me and 
looked up any books ; now I look up as many 
books as possible." 

''I take more interest in the books I am read- 
ing now because there is a variety, and we do 
not now have just to read from one or two 
books during the term. For History, instead 
of the whole class getting the same idea on a 
subject, everyone tackles the subject from a 
different point of view.' ' 

2. The majority of girls seem to think they have 
improved in History, Geography, and English, 
a good many state that their Mathematics 
and Science are both better under this system. 

3. In Modern Languages girls feel that their pro- 
nunciation may have suffered. The type of 
girl who complains that she has to rely on her 
own brains now instead of on the mistress' 
thinks that many subjects suffer. 

4. In the answers to this question opinion is di- 
vided. There is no doubt girls like working 
together if they are fairly even, and a weak 
girl likes to have help from a stronger one, but 
many state that the weak rely too much upon 
the strong. 

*'In most cases I think the strong girl does 



182 THE DALTON PLAN 

the work while the weak girl thinks she under- 
stands and takes it for her own. She would 
learn more if she worked alone.'* 
*' Girls have a chance to help one an- 
other . . . what some girls don't know, 
others do know. ' ' 

*'We learn more, for now we have our own 
thoughts and another girl's thoughts." 
*'It enables you to be more friendly towards 
one another." 

*^ Girls have become, on the whole, more 
kindly disposed to one another, not so many 
cliques are formed; more co-operation." 
* ' The strong girl gets time to help the weak. ' ' 
5. ' ' Girls who work quickly are not held back by 
the slower girls." 

** Those girls who are quicker can get on in 
front of others without waiting for them." 
''If a girl is behind in a subject the form does 
not wait for the girl, but goes on." 
*'The better girls do not have to wait for the 
slower ones to catch up, and hear the same 
things explained many times when they under- 
stand it. ' ' 

*'I have more time and get more work done." 
"I need never pass over a thing which I do not 
understand." 

''Those girls who are not so quick can get help 
from the mistresses, and so get along quicker 
than they did before." 

"The slower girls can ask help many times 
without feeling the class is going too quickly 
for them." 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 183 

*'You can take as long as yon like on a sub- 
ject." 

**You do not have to do a thing at once, you 
can think it over and leave it for another 
day." 

**The advantages cover a wide field. Apart 
from the wider reading, girls appreciate the 
advantage to the individual and the benefit to 
the work itself. ' ' 

''There is no need to keep changing the sub- 
ject." 

' ' When the bell rings you do not have to leave 
off in the middle of a piece of work and be ob- 
liged to go on to another lesson." 
"Under the old system we often had to break 
off in the middle of something on Monday and 
wait until Wednesday to finish it." 
"You learn to be absorbed in your work." 

And the natural corollary follows : 

"We learn to work more thoroughly and not 

to be slack as sometimes you can be in 

class." 

"I can get more work done in school and much 

less at home." 

"The knowledge gained is not so stodgy." 

"We learn to work properly and diligently, 

and it is not so dull as having a dry lesson." 
Many girls note a change in the moral atmos- 
phere of the school, and the setting in of a far 
more fundamental discipline : 

"There is much more responsibility for us in 

this system." 

"When I am not under a mistress's eye I 



184 THE DALTON PLAN 

tliink I can work better, because it gives me 
an idea that I am trusted to work, and so I 
do/' 

*^It helps you to learn to be quiet when a mis- 
tress is not there to keep you quiet." 
*'The advantages of this system are that it 
makes girls feel that they are reliable. ' ' 
*'We learn what the word 'trust' means." 

Others note the tonic effect of the system upon 
themselves : 

"You learn to think for yourself, and not to 
depend on a mistress." 

"The system helps you not to lean on a mis- 
tress." 

"It teaches you how to teach yourself." 
"I used to rely on the mistresses and do 
scarcely any reading, but now I rely on them 
less and read much more. ' ' 
"I have studied more books than I should 
have done under the old scheme, when I should 
have depended on hearing what mistresses 
would tell me, and should not have looked up 
any books; now I look up as many books as 
possible." 

* ' I have found often under the old scheme that 
I cannot work out a sum or a theorem or write 
an essay from sheer tiredness of the subject. 
It is at these times you feel how much more 
pleasant your own time-table would be. ' ' 

6. One poor child who evidently dislikes both 
work and responsibility would improve the plan 
by abolishing the whole thing: 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 185 

"I would do away with the whole system. 
Nearly all of it. Why should we as Britons 
copy Americans, why not use ideas of our 
own? Our temperament is not suited to so 
much work, as we have not been brought up to 
it from childliood, as have the Americans." 

Many would improve by abolishing tests or giv- 
ing different kind of test : 

*'For instance, in History I should prefer a 
question such as, 'Say all you can about the 
Indian Mutiny, its causes, the results on India, 
and on government in England and India." 
"In History we had, 'How was the coloniza- 
tion of Australia a result of the revolt of 
Canada ? ' For the growth of the British Em- 
pire I had taken each part separately, and 
learnt how they became parts of the British 
Empire. I did not make any relation between 
them. If the question had been, 'How did cer- 
tain parts of the British Empire come under 
British rule?' I could have answered that 
better, and would have shown that I knew 
more about the growth of the British Empire 
than the former question would lead one to be- 
lieve." 

Others would have periods for silent work; 
many ask for more books and for less crowded 
rooms. 

7. The disadvantages given are often at oppo- 
site points of the compass. Some would have 
more lessons, some would have fewer : 



186 THE DALTON PLAN 

''It takes longer to gather from books that 
which can be gathered from mistresses." 
''One of the disadvantages is that a girl is 
tempted to leave the subjects she dislikes and 
to work only at those she is fond of. This was 
avoided when we had to attend three or four 
lessons in a subject in a week." 
"For girls who cannot concentrate it is far 
more difficult to get information from a book 
than from someone who can make the subject 
interesting and give information away from 
the dry facts. ' ' 

"In learning from books many people cannot 
pick out the most important facts, but make 
twice as much work by learning trivial points 
of no real value." 

It would be folly to imagine that even so fine 
a conception as the Dalton Plan finds in any Eng- 
lish school universal and welcome acceptance, 
either from staff or scholars. The more conserva- 
tive teachers naturally, at first, look askance at an 
untried scheme, fearing that their authority will 
be set at naught and their years of accumulated 
knowledge and facility in teaching will become of 
little value. But no scheme would be worth con- 
sideration if it did not recognize that the teacher 
cannot abrogate her authority and responsibility, 
and must not waste her experience and knowledge. 
The Dalton Plan creates so intimate a bond be- 
tween pupil and teacher that the latter becomes 
less of an autocrat and more of a guide. Our 
stores of knowledge are open to all who wish to 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 187 

enter. ''If thou seest a man of understanding get 
thee betimes unto him, and let thy foot near the 
steps of his door," said the writer of Ecclesiasti- 
cus. With more freedom in the school this becomes 
possible now. 

Young, untrained teachers are, moreover, often 
unable to grasp, in all its bearings, a change so 
new to their experience. Their sole stock-in-trade 
is their university career and their remembrance 
of how they were taught at school. The lymphatic 
teacher again is apt to sit down under the scheme. 
She, the pupils, and the plan are three points with 
no connection, and she sometimes needs more 
supervision than do the pupils, for the feeble, un- 
inspired teacher produces followers equally feeble 
and uninspired. But the person with faith, ex- 
perience, who possesses knowledge of, and love 
for, the child, brings forth fruit a hundredfold. 
The delight of the Dalton Plan lies in the fact that 
it is capable of many interpretations and exten- 
sions. The principles of freedom and initiative 
belong to the director as well as to the pupil. 

On the whole, it is these people who have seen 
little or nothing of the workings of the plan who 
are most fertile in criticism which may range 
from strain on pupils and staff to the size of desks 
that fit the varying occupants, or to the length of 
a vertical line in marking a graph. The question 
of strain on pupils falls under two heads : eye 
strain and nerve strain. There are those who fear 
that pupils will suffer from reading during too 



188 THE DALTON PLAN 

long a period. But in reality this rarely happens, 
for normal boys and girls do not work to fatigue 
point; they stop reading in order to discuss, or 
they change their subject. 

The question of worrying about work and over 
responsibility is, however, a serious consideration 
in any school ; if teachers are not alive to the im- 
portance of the all-round development, physical as 
well as mental and moral, of their pupils, this can 
arise in any system. But under the Dalton Plan, 
where the teacher is so much more closely in touch 
with the pupil, the possibility of worrying over re- 
sponsibility is lessened. The child who shudders 
at responsibility is just the person who needs a 
sympathetic initiation into self-reliance. Under a 
sympathetic teacher she gets this opportunity. 
Each child is considered as an individual; her 
work and its results are shaped to her needs. 
Under any system the heedless child who neglects 
her work may get worried and flustered at the end 
of the term. Now we find fewer who neglect their 
work and fewer who are worried over it. 

Any plan at its initiation entails more thought 
and more conferences on the part of the staff. 
Thought runs in a new direction. No longer does 
one think how to bring the matter, the informa- 
tion, to the child, but how to lead the child to find 
it out for himself. One thinks how to arouse and 
maintain that interest in dealing with a subject, so 
that work becomes a *' breath and finer spirit.*' 
Naturally, when after much effort the early sylla- 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 189 

buses showed inperf ections, and pupils did not do 
what they expected to do, a little feeling of disap- 
pointment may have made one feel that the work 
was heavier than before. But as months went on, 
efforts and thought produced so much more re- 
munerative work from pupils that this strain was 
lessened. Some people seem to think that in the 
laboratory periods teachers sit and watch children 
work ; others picture a queue of pupils each asking 
the same question, and the teacher wearied out 
with giving the same reply. But the truth is that 
the teacher lives, still has common sense, still 
guides and suggests, amends and reforms plans of 
earlier days. 

Maybe the super-specialist laments the possible 
disappearance of the inspirational lecture. When 
one remembers speeches and sermons and lessons 
that were a joy and an inspiration, one realizes 
how much the value depended upon the stirring of 
the emotions, and how that value was increased by 
discussion or reading afterwards. The influence 
of a teacher upon her class is not at its greatest 
height during a lesson no matter how inspira- 
tional the lesson may be. The brilliant child ad- 
mires the fine lesson and values the teacher for 
that. The average child is moved by it; the 
slower child may be awed by it. But for actual 
remunerative effort a few words spoken to a be- 
wildered child, putting her at ease with her dif- 
ficulty, and giving her guidance for the future, 
may be more potent than the finest class lesson. It 



190 THE DALTON PLAN 

is doubtful whether any teacher could give more 
than one really inspiring lesson a week to every 
form. We may give several lessons weekly that 
satisfy us; they do not necessarily inspire the 
class. Under the Dalton Plan the lesson that in- 
spires still has its place, particularly when a new 
subject, or a new stage of a subject, or a great 
topic is in consideration. The following up of the 
forces set in motion by such a lesson is now pos- 
sible with individual work. 

There are still others who have a vision of a 
jaded staff burning the midnight oil over correc- 
tions. The group work should tend to lessen the 
amount to be corrected. Group discussion and 
inter-group discussion may well take the part of 
the written exercise. What is important for every 
teacher to remember is that freshness and vigour, 
both of mind and body, are more advantageous to 
the pupil than a series of thoroughly corrected 
exercises which rarely repay the time so spent 
even if they are things that can he displayed when 
occasion arises. 

The proportion of set lessons to free study 
period varies according to the needs of a particu- 
lar form or the needs of a particular subject at a 
particular time. The abolition of such lessons is 
not an essential part of the plan, and where the 
number of pupils to a teacher is large this is prac- 
tically an impossibility. 

Many critics of the Dalton Plan fear it may 
bring a lessening of form spirit, or corporate life. 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 191 

If class lessons were the only essential in the 
growth of form spirit every class in every school 
in England would be a strong corporate body. 
When the atmosphere of the school and the spirit 
of the staff are good, corporate feeling will grow 
under any system. The consideration by the 
teacher of each child as an individual does not 
mean that children pass through school as sepa- 
rate units. Groups feel pride in group achieve- 
ment, forms feel pride in form achievement, 
whether in work or in games. Corporate life is 
almost wholly a social development. Class lessons 
and mark sheets will not make a form a living 
body. 

There is also a feeling that shirkers may lead a 
too happy life under the new plan. Of course, the 
teacher must keep this danger in mind. It can 
usually be arrested by suggesting better work to 
them, and when suggestion fails, she can keep 
them steadily at work by an individual time-table 
till they are fit to enjoy the liberty of the plan. 
But as one progresses in making syllabuses which 
must focus the child's view-point, interest becomes 
a great incentive and shirkers become few. 

Another evil which specialists dread is that 
pupils will work too vigorously at their favourite 
subjects and shun their difficult ones. They fear, 
too, that pupils will flock to the room of the 
favourite teacher and avoid others. Naturally, 
the pupil tends to go where she is warmly wel- 
comed, encouraged, and helped, and tends to avoid 



192 THE DALTON PLAN 

the person who greets her with a reproof. Wliere 
any feeling of animosity exists it will lessen the 
amount of joy and vigour and success in work. 
But if all specialist teachers interest themselves in 
the pupils' all-around progress more than in any 
special subject, no animosity will arise. All 
teachers should realize that children want to learn, 
and that every means of helping them to fulfil that 
want should be employed, even at the price of 
ceasing to be censorious and of becoming a guide 
and a friend. The real discipline which a child de- 
velops by joyously and steadily pursuing a course 
is far better for her character than the feeling of 
shame or resentment aroused by reproof, even 
though resentment were followed by good work. 
The curious thing is that when children have a 
choice of subject and of time, and when they be- 
gin to exercise judgment, they discriminate be- 
tween the popular teacher and the teacher who 
helps. To their credit, be it said, they go where 
knowledge is- It is well for a child to have an ab- 
sorbing interest in a subject, and if one appre- 
ciates this at its proper worth, interest spreads 
from one to the other subjects. Even if it were 
not so, it would still be better for a child to leave 
school with this one interest than with a carefully 
calculated and evenly spread amount of general 
information. The class advisor and the pupil's 
graph card help to keep a fairly all-round state 
of progress though, of course, some will always 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 193 

work the minimum at certain subjects and the 
highest in others. 

Accuracy and neatness are the next points 
■assailed. Any good teacher knows where accuracy 
is essential, where neatness is essential, and will 
not let the child ruin otherwise good efforts by 
failure in these directions. Children appreciate 
tests for accuracy; they see their worth. They 
like to give up a neatly-written paper well-ex- 
pressed and well-spelt, though their rough notes 
may be abominable. A child gives full expression 
to her ideas in discussion or in writing rough 
notes, but ideas can often be hampered by too 
great insistence upon writing and neatness. 

Oral work and speech training loom largely in 
the eyes of other critics. In class work the articu- 
late pupils speak during most of the time while 
the inarticulate listen, or dream, or stammer forth 
a few words. Their ideas have no flow because 
they are so conscious of the criticism of their fel- 
lows and of their teachers that they are loath to 
take up the time of the class. Under the Dalton 
Plan a self-conscious child has a greater chance. 
She is in closer contact mth the teacher; she 
realizes that she is not taking up the time of the 
class in her efforts to express herself. Moreover, 
when dealing with her as an individual, the 
teacher can find some point of interest, perhaps 
very remotely connected with the subject in hand, 
but one capable of unlocking the child's mind and 
of enabling her to give expression freely to some- 



194 THE DALTON PLAN 

thing which interests her. Wlien once aroused in 
this way, a child grows more and more awake to 
other points of view and becomes no longer the 
tongue-tied laggard of the class. Correction of 
speech defects is received in a far more kindly 
spirit when the child is by the teacher's side, and 
possibilities for correction are more frequent. 
Now oral composition has become a valuable exer- 
cise. 

While admitting that the plan may be successful 
with the brilliant child, who, in the eyes of the 
critic, will take most of the teacher's time, doubts 
are often expressed, that it would be less success- 
ful with the slower child. One must confess that 
the brilliant child progresses at a far greater rate 
than before, but, at the same time, one must also 
acknowledge that the slower child progresses, too, 
at a greater rate and in a far better way. The 
very slow child always needs special considera- 
tion, and is able to get it either as an individual or 
in a group. The fear that exists in some minds 
with regard to the last type is that such pupils will 
not really enjoy prolonged periods of private 
study. First of all, I must point out that the pupil 
is not obliged to study for prolonged periods. She 
may change her subject as she will. Moreover, 
she does enjoy discussion of her study with her 
teacher or with other girls. Probably she would 
not enjoy a week of all study with no lessons or no 
manual work or drill or games. But freedom to do 
some amount of the work by herself certainly 



A YEAR'S EXPERIMENT 195 

brings with it increased enjoyment of the work 
undertaken. 

Another critic asks : ''What is the moral effect 
of allowing children to choose their occupation at 
certain times when, in after life, they will have to 
do what is set before them at a given time ? " If a 
rigid time-table of class lessons had produced a 
nation whose ideals were so high that everything 
was done from a sense of duty and discipline — a 
nation so developed that self-discipline was uni- 
versal, one would be disinclined to contemplate 
any change in educational methods. But as no 
such nation exists, one is justified in hoping that 
a change may be for the better, and that an edu- 
cation based upon freedom to choose, and to pur- 
sue the study that attracts where and when the 
student wills may assist us to grow into a nation 
competent to choose and pursue its own destiny 
rather than one led by the voice of authority 
whether in the form of a ranting demagogue, a 
trimipery journal, a fashion plate, or a phrase. In 
the world people ' * do what is set before them at a 
given time" either because it is to their interest, 
or because it is their livelihood. Children who 
grow up mth a joy in the work which interests 
them will be likely to find that interest useful in 
their later life. It is certain at all events, that our 
education which allows a child liberty to develop 
and time to think and plan must favour the expan- 
sion of all the good qualities innate in his person- 
ality. 



CHAPTER X 

The Daltok Plan for Elementary Schools 

By John Eades, Head Master of Kirkstall Road Council 
School, Leeds 

The Dalton Plan has come to stay. It has al- 
ready secured its place in the secondary school, 
and has also been adopted in many elementary 
schools. In fact, in various modified forms it had 
been in use in some English up-to-date schools 
long before it came from America. I hope to give 
such information of the initiation and working of 
the new plan in the elementary school as will enable 
any teachers who are interested to apply the plan 
to suit their own school and their own particular 
circumstances. 

A number of years ago I began a system of 
specialization at the Leeds Kirkstall Road School. 
The frequent hearing of class lessons on all the 
school subjects prepared and given by students in 
training convinced me of the impossibility of any 
one teacher being able to do full justice to every 
subject in the curriculum. Tastes, training, dis- 
position, and knowledge were all against it. It 
was self-evident that a teacher always taught 

196 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 197 

those subjects best that he knew most about, and 
they were invariably the subjects in which he was 
most interested. All teachers have one or more 
such subjects, and their enthusiasm and keenness 
with regard to them often inspire their pupils, and 
so secure more and better work with a much less 
expenditure of energy. 

We discussed the question at several staff meet- 
ings, and talked over the preferences of the va- 
rious teachers. Then two or more special subjects 
were allotted to each teacher; the time-table was 
arranged accordingly, and ever since specializa- 
tion in teaching has been used in our school with 
gratifying success. 

Yet as time went on, the weakness and waste of 
cumulative class teaching in some subjects became 
painfully manifest. Listening to hundreds of les- 
sons in academic subjects — carefully and often 
elaborately prepared — and seeing the utterly in- 
adequate result of it all, turned my mind in the 
direction of sectional teaching. Classes were di- 
vided into three sections — one containing the 
clever children, the middle one the average chil- 
dren, and the third section the weaker and back- 
ward children. This was an improvement on 
whole class teaching, yet it left something to be 
desired, and we were still faced by the problem 
of the individual — the problem that each child in 
our charge is unique; for no two children in the 
world are exactly alike, each one has a personality 
distinct from that of anybody else. .Every time 



198 THE DALTON PLAN 

a child exercises his will, the action has a separate 
and direct effect upon the formation of his 
character, which as time goes on makes him a dis- 
tinct unit, requiring distinct and separate treat- 
ment; for we can deal with these personalities 
successfully only by treating them individually, 
and applying our methods according to the dispo- 
sition and capacity of each child. 

Some three or four years ago this thought led 
to individual work being given to those in the 
seventh standard, the children being allotted one 
week's work at a time. Then the Dalton Plan 
arrived, and that led to further developments. 
But before going into detail let me summarize 
some of the disadvantages of the class teaching of 
academic subjects which urged us to adopt a dif- 
ferent plan. 

Sharp children are held back and dull children 
are pushed on, to the detriment of their mental 
powers, owing to the teacher 's effort to strike the 
problematical average. 

Lazy children do as little as they can, and 
shelter themselves behind the more eager ones. 

There is very little in the way of co-operation, 
and co-operation is one of the vital principles of 
successful teaching. The teacher is tempted to 
pour into the minds of the children a load of new 
facts, and his teaching resolves itself into ' ' talk a 
little, chalk a little, talk a little more"; while the 
children remain passive, and often become indif- 
ferent and mischievous. Any lesson, to be effect- 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 199 

ive, must be the children's as well as the teacher's, 
and more the children's than the teacher's. 

Then again, a child has to take stated subjects, 
each at a definite time, for a given length of time, 
whether he feels in the humour for a particular 
subject or no. And the one who finds a subject diffi- 
cult can spend only the same amount of time at it 
as the one who finds it easy. This arrangement 
generates in the child a distaste for that subject ; 
whereas if he had more time to spend on it and 
more help given to him, he would overcome his 
difficulties and find real interest in the very work 
which once he disliked. And, finally, more rapid 
promotion is a serious problem under the ordinary 
method of classification. The only way seems to 
be for a clever child to spend six months in one 
standard and then pass on to the next. But this 
means a serious gap in a scheme of work and 
breaks the thread of the child's orderly and gradu- 
ated education, which, in the long run, probably 
does more harm than good. 

To avoid these disadvantages, some subjects 
should be taught individually and others in groups 
or classes. 

All teaching can be broadly divided into two sec- 
tions: (1) That which aims at the development of 
the mental powers, and the acquirement of such 
.knowledge as is necessary to make an intelligent 
and useful citizen; and (2) that which has for its 
object the development of the physique, the culti- 
vation of the social sense, and of the emotions. 



200 THE DALTON PLAN 

With these two aims in mind, we can, broadly 
speaking, divide our school subjects into two 
groups corresponding in the main to these two 
aims: 

1. The academic subjects — e.g., reading, mathe- 
matics, physical science, composition, spelling, 
grammar, history, geography, art and handicraft 
corresponding to our first aim. 

2. The physical, social, and emotional subjects 
— e.g., physical training (including games and 
dancing), music, literature, outdoor rambles, for 
nature study and sketching, and lantern lectures, 
corresponding to our second aim. There will be 
some overlapping in (1) and (2), but nothing det- 
rimental to the plan. 

The academic subjects will be taught individ- 
ually, and sometimes in small groups where chil- 
dren are at the same stage. There will be individ- 
ual co-operation — the younger ones will be en- 
couraged to seek help from the older ones, and the 
older ones will be encouraged to give it. 

The other subjects will be taught in classes, but 
the classification will be mainly an age classifica- 
tion and 'not one of standards. In these lessons 
there will be communal co-operation ; and it is only 
by a happy use of both kinds of co-operation that 
the best social life and the finest character can be 
attained. 

The first thing to do is to decide on the stand- 
ards to be brought within the scheme; ours are 
standards IV to VIII. When that is done, ar- 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 201 

range the classrooms for the various subjects 
according to the work allotted to the different 
members of the staff. Our rooms are arranged 
and labelled as follows : 

The Hall— Reading. 

Room 1 — Art. 

Room 2 — History and Geography. 

Room 3 — English (composition, spelling, and 
grammar). 

Room 4 — Mathematics. 

Room 5 — Science and Handicraft. 
The teacher who has specialized in the subjects 
named takes charge of his room and the work that 
has to be done in it. I take charge of the reading, 
which is, of course, silent reading, and that brings 
me into close and frequent contact with every 
pupil in the upper part of the school. 

A monthly allotment of work in each subject is 
made out by the teacher responsible and fixed on 
the classroom wall or notice board. It does not 
exceed an amount which can be done comfortably 
by a child of ordinary ability. Children are al- 
lowed to copy this into their notebooks either as a 
whole or in parts as they require them. 

At 9.30 a.m. the gong is sounded, the scripture 
lesson closes, the children move out into any room 
they prefer, and stay there as long as they like ; so 
there may be, and there usually are, children from 
all the given standards in any one room at the 
same time. Some stay for half an hour, others for 
an hour, and a few for a whole morning. Each 



202 



THE DALTON PLAN 



pupil plans out his own work, and does it at his 
own convenience. No slacking is allowed. A boy 






WORK RECORD C^RD 



boiijcct 



ArvtK 






G 



eoi^T 



Sci' 




'M/^Vi, 









^^ 








R<=:adi. 






Art, f ^ 






s 

Pw 









S = S£T WORK. W = WRITTEN WORK. 



must be reading, studying, writing, drawing, 
modelling, experimenting, etc. The teacher ques- 
tions each one briefly on his study work, discusses 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 203 

points with him, and examines his written answers 
to the questions set. 

Each child is supplied with a ''Work Record 
Card. ' ' This he keeps in an envelope in his school 
bag, along with his writing materials and text- 
books, for the preservation and safety of which he 
is held responsible. 

When the teacher has questioned a boy on any 
part of his set work, or has corrected one of his 
written answers, he marks it with a tick in red 
ink. All the teacher's marks on the card are in 
red ink ; my initials, as the head master, when the 
work for the month is completed, are in black ink. 

When the teacher has initialled his monthly 
allotment as being completed, he ticks off the boy's 
name for that month in his own book, which con- 
tains the names of all the boys in their various 
standards. When I have initialled the completed 
month's work, I enter in my book, opposite the 
name of each boy, a number corresponding to the 
order of finishing among the boys of the same 
standard. In this way we can find out at any 
time just where a boy stands in his work, and a 
request for his record card will furnish the details. 

No boy is allowed to go on with any subject 
in one month's allotment until he has completed 
the work given in all the subjects set for the pre- 
vious month. Many children will have the March 
work finished in February, and the April work 
finished in early March. Then if they prefer they 
can spend the remaining time in the month on 



204 THE DALTON PLAN 

their favourite subjects — and probably they will 
be better educated through these than through 
any others — or they can push on with the next 
month's allotment. Most children prefer to do 
the latter, and many will complete the year's work 
in seven, eight, or nine months, and at once pass 
on to the work of the next standard higher. The 
slower ones may take 15 or 16 months to do the 
year's work; but when they have done it, it will 
be well done, and will do them far more good 
than merely skimming the work in their efforts to 
keep pace with those who are more mentally alert. 

Oral lessons are not barred during the working 
of the Dalton Plan. The personal, individual in- 
tercourse between teacher and pupils enables the 
teacher to find out their peculiar difficulties. If 
the same difficulty presents itself to several chil- 
dren the teacher makes a note of it, and gathers 
them round the blackboard, and deals with their 
difficulty there. 

In other parts of a subject set for study it may 
not be possible for the children to obtain all the 
necessary information from their text-books, or 
the reference books which are provided, and to 
which children are frequently sent for further 
information. When that happens, perhaps once 
or twice a month, the teacher appoints a day and 
time, and puts up a notice, or enters it on the 
allotment of work, asking all children who are 
studying that subject to assemble in his room for 
a special lesson. Other children in the room at 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 205 

the time go to one of the other subject-rooms, and 
carry on work there. 

Here are a few of our specimen allotments of 
work for a month: 

STANDARD IV 

HISTORY 

March 
Study. 

{a) How a monastery got its food and money. 
{h) The Friars. 

(c) A mediaeval town in the time of Edward 
III (14th century). 

[See Piers' Plowma/n History, pp. 118-139.] 

Wbitten Work. 

(a) Make a sketch of the stocks on page 134, 
but leave out the drawings of the man and woman. 

(b) Give an account of the Friars in your own 
words. 

(c) What do you think the streets of Leeds 
were like in the 14th century? 

{d) Tell what you know of the trade guilds. 

ENGLISH 

February 
Composition. 

Select any four of the following subjects; col- 
lect and arrange ideas on each of them, and then 
write compositions on them in your books. 



206 THE DALTON PLAN 

(a) A rainy day. 

(b) My mother, or father. 

(c) A description of a favourite toy. 

(d) A letter to a chum telling him what fun you 
had in making a snow man. 

(e) An accident on the ice. 
Give two accounts of this : 

(1) By the injured person. 

(2) By one of those who went to his aid. 

Grammar. 

Study pages 13 and 14 in your English books. 
Write out exercise 10, and underline the pro- 
nouns. 

Spelling. 

Write out the transcription exercise on pages 
44 and 45. Learn the words printed in thick black 
type, and be prepared to use them in oral sen- 
tences. 

Special Lesson. 

On Monday, February 6th, at 9.30, a lesson 
will be given on ''Punctuation." All Standard 
IV boys must be present; any others who know 
that their punctuation is faulty may also attend. 

STANDARD V 

GEOMETRY 

March 

(1) Draw an equilateral triangle of 3 inches 
side. Divide this triangle into three equal tri- 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 207 

angles. In each triangle inscribe a circle which 
will just touch all the sides. 

(2) On a given base line, say 2 inches, show 
the method of erecting any polygon. 

(3) Draw the plan, elevation, and end elevation 
of the following hand sketch of a model. 




(4) Select any object from the box of models, 
and draw the plan, elevation, and end elevation 
of it to a scale half the size. 

ARITHMETIC 

March 
Study. 

(1) Study the multiplication and division of 
decimals on pages 32 and 33 of the Cambridge 
Arithmetic. 

(2) Draw Figure 1, on page 35, and do what it 
tells you at the side. 

(3) Read No. 4 on page 36, and work an ex- 
ample of your own on squared paper. 

(4) Complete the table about prices at the top 
of page 39. 

(5) Learn the meaning of Ratio from the ex- 
ample at the top of page 43, and study both the 
unitary method and the fractional method. 



208 THE DALTON PLAN 

Written Woek. 

Work examples: 

(1) {a), {h), {c) in No. 10, p. 32. 

(2) (5), (6), (9) on p. 33. 

(3) (3), (4), (5), (6) on p. 37. 

(4) (1), (2), (3) on p. 40. 

(5) (5), (6), (7) on p. 46. 

Special Lesson. 

On Friday morning, March lOth, at 9.30, a les- 
son on "The Uses of Ratio" will be given to all 
boys in Standard V who are at this stage of the 
work. Other boys may attend if they wish to 
do so. 

STANDARD VI 

ART 

March 

Do the work indicated in any four of the follow- 
ing sections : 

Object Drawing. 

Make a water-colour drawing of the group of 
objects set up for March in your section of the 
room. 

Memory Drawing. 

Draw^ from memory a group of objects compris- 
ing a jackplane, a dovetail saw, a mallet and a 
chisel. When you are in the Handicraft Depart- 
ment notice carefully the construction and shape 
of these tools. 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 209 

Design. 

Draw two border designs, one based on straight 
lines and one on curved lines. Paint them, using 
those colours which, in your opinion, harmonize 
the best. 

Lettering. 

Study the examples of Roman lettering which 
are displayed. The proportions of the letters up 
to K are shown. Draw these carefully, making 
your squares of 2 inches sides. Notice that cer- 
tain letters, such as C, D, G, are based on the 
circle. 

Picture Drawing. 

Watch boys or men playing football. Notice 
the positions of arms and legs when one is taking 
a big kick. Make drawings of a footballer kick- 
ing the football from different positions. Illus- 
trate an incident in a football match which may 
be entitled ^* Saved!" 



GEOGRAPHY 
February 



Study. 



Study the products and industries of India, and 
then the towns and communications. 

Read Lay's British Dominions, pp. 50-63. Seek 
further information in the reference books. 



210 THE DALTON PLAN 

"Written Work. 

(1) In map reading and exercises, do numbers 
4, 9, 12, 13 on p. 54, and 3, 15, 17 on p. 61. 

(2) In ''Things to do" take numbers 1, 2 on p. 
55, and 1, 2 on p. 62. 

Special Lesson. 

A lesson will be given on Monday, February 
27th, at 11 a.m., on ' ' The Value of India to Britain 
and the Value of Britain to India." All boys who 
are studying India must be present. 

READING 

April 

When you have chosen your book for the month, 
enter your name, standard, and title of the book 
in the exercise book provided for the purpose. 

Read through the whole of the book before you 
write any answers. 

If, in reading, you come to anything you do not 
understand, ask one of the older boys or consult 
the dictionary. If these do not help you, come 
tome. 

When you have read through the book give 
written answers to the following questions : 

(1) Which do you consider the best story or 
the most interesting chapter in the book? De- 
scribe it. 

(2) Which person in the book do you like best? 
Say why you prefer him (or her), and tell of one 
or two things he did. 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 211 

(3) Write a short play, using the contents of 
any chapter in the book, or write a poem of not 
less than three verses about any person or inci- 
dent in the book. 

STANDARD VII 

ENGLISH 
March 
Composition. 

(1) Expand the outline No. 2 on p. 115 of your 
English book. 

(2) Write out the first portion of the story 
given in Exercise 10, on p. 129, continue it, and 
add your own conclusion. 

Select any two of the following subjects, pre- 
pare them, and then write out fully in your ex- 
ercise books. 

(1) Your speech as Captain of the School Foot- 
ball Team on being presented with the League 
Cup. 

(2) A letter to a chum congratulating him on 
winning a scholarship. 

(3) Indications of the approach of spring. 

(4) A letter to a boy in India, describing a hard 
winter in England. 

Grammar. 

(1) Punctuate passages 6 and 7 in Exercise 1, 
p. 59. 

(2) Change parts 1 and 2 of Exercise 2, p. 61, 
from direct into reported speech. 



212 THE DALTON PLAN 

Special Lesson. 

On Wednesday, March 1st, at 9.30 a.m., a lesson 
will be given on "Direct and Reported Speech.'* 
All Standard VII boys must be present. 

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE 

March 
Study. 

(1) Learn the note on Ratio at the top of p. 12, 
Cambridge Arithmetic; that on Profit and Loss 
on p. 16 ; and that on Simple Interest on p. 18. 

(2) Write out and learn the two formulae for 
the triangle given on p. 26, and the formulae for 
the cylinder and cone on pp. 30 and 31. 

(3) Read the notes on p. 37 on commission and 
brokerage, and those on pp. 64 and 65 on the areas 
of irregular figures. 

Wkitten Work. 

Work examples: 

(1) 3, 15, 18, 21, p. 10 Camb. Arith. 

(2) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23, p. 11, Camb. Arith". 

(3) 1, 2, 3, p. 12, Camb. Arith. 

(4) 1, 2, 3, p. 13, Camb. Arith. 

(5) 4, 5, 6, p. 14, Camb. Arith. 

(6) 1, 2, 5, p. 17, Camb. Arith. 

(7) 1, 3, 6, p. 18, Camb. Arith. 

(8) Work example 3 (Fig. 4) on p. 65, and cal- 
culate the area of the deck of the vessel. 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 213 

EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE 

Work out and describe two or more of the ex- 
periments from Lessons 6 and 7 on the cone and 
cylinder. 

Study Lesson 13 on Specific Gravity, and copy 
the drawing on p. 12. McDougall's Handwork 
Science, Book II. 

Now let me point out some of the advantages 
of this individual method of teaching. 

1. The child's individuality is recognized, 
studied, and cultivated. 

2. Every child can go at his own pace. No child 
is hindered by having to wait for others ; the slow 
child is not hurried beyond his powers, and so 
does better and more lasting work. 

3. The child with a tendency to be lazy becomes 
interested by being allowed more choice. 

4. Work is done hy the child, instead of for 
him; he gains experience by doing, and has the 
satisfaction of accomplishing something by his 
own efforts. 

5. There is no breaking off a piece of work just 
when it is most interesting, nor continuing it when 
bored or fatigued. 

6. There is unity in the teaching. If a child 
is absent for a week or two he takes up the work 
on his return just where he left off; he does not 
lose the thread of his subject, as so often happens 
in class teaching. 



214 THE DALTON PLAN 

7. The children in each room form a family 
group ; the older and more advanced children help 
the younger and weaker ones whenever they are 
appealed to, without telling them too much, or 
making them too dependent. This cultivates a 
helping spirit in the older pupils, and at the same 
time fixes their own knowledge more firmly in 
their minds, as all teaching does. 

8. There is no sharp break with the method of 
study in after-school life. 

9. There is no marking time when a child 
reaches Standard VII, no matter how few children 
there are in that standard. 

10. Children being free to work at a subject 
when they feel most inclined are keener, more 
alert, and attack and overcome difficulties much 
more readily. 

11. A child's organizing powers are developed 
by having to plan out and complete his monthly 
programme in the given time. 

12. Friendly emulation is aroused ; the younger 
children work hard to catch up to the older ones, 
and the older ones are anxious to keep ahead. 

13. There is closer personal contact between 
teacher and pupil. 

14. There is no difficulty with promotion ; every 
child is promoted as soon as he is ready. 

15. For the last year or so of a child's school 
life he may be allowed to do a minimum of work 
in those subjects for which he has little or no 
aptitude, and then his education and training can 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 215 

be carried on mainly through those subjects in 
which he is keenly interested. 

This copy of the time-table will give a good idea 
as to the subjects taken in classes in the after- 
noons. 

Four equal divisions, containing in all from 160 
to 200 children, are arranged on an age basis: 
Division 1 ages 13 and 14. 
Division 2 ages 12 and 13. 
Division 3 ages 11 and 12. 
Division 4 ages 9, 10, 11. 

Subjects. 

As indicated, rambles for Nature study or 
sketching, or lantern lectures on geography or 
history, are specially arranged, and the times 
entered in the log book under *' Science." A 
course of hygiene and temperance is taken, and 
experimental work in physical science is demon- 
strated. As the divisions do not correspond to the 
standards, the teacher takes experimental and 
oral work in science and mathematics with small 
groups, while the others work as in a morning. 

Elocution and dramatization are taken in the 
literature and oral reading lessons. The litera- 
ture is taught in classes, so is scripture. It is in 
these lessons where the personality of the teacher 
in his translation of the author's words and 
thoughts and spirit has the greatest effect on the 
imagination and emotions of the children. The 



216 THE DALTON PLAN 

literature is taken on the lines given in my book, 
Literature Teaching in Schools — A Manual of 
Matter and Method (published by E. J. Arnold, 
Leeds, at 45. 6d. net). It covers eight years of a 
child's school life. 

A weekly debate is taken in Division 1, the sub- 
ject and leaders being decided upon by the chil- 
dren a week beforehand. This practises the older 
ones in thinking while on their feet, and trains 
them in giving suitable and logical expression to 
their thoughts — an exercise which experience of 
listening to speakers in other spheres of life shows 
to be very necessary. 

Handwriting includes writing, figuring, and 
general style. This corrects any tendency to slov- 
enly work, which may occur when children are 
more intent upon the subject matter under con- 
sideration than they are on the neatness of the 
form in which they express it; though if very 
careless work is brought to be examined under 
the Dalton Plan in a morning, the teacher puts 
his pen through it, and then the exercise has to 
be re- written. This leads the child to see not only 
that what is worth doing at all is worth doing 
well, but that slovenly, dirty, or untidy work of 
any kind is an act of discourtesy to the person 
to whom it is presented. 

Physical training and music are taken by a 
specialist teacher, and are taught in the age di- 
visions — a much better classification for these 
subjects than that of the standards. 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 217 






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DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 219 

Now I will give a number of questions put and 
criticisms offered by visitors, and append my 
answers to them. 

1. Is not the constant application a strain upon 
the children? 

We have not found it so. Children can 
change their subject when they are tired of 
it. After close study or written work a child 
can go into the art room, or into the read- 
ing room, where he can read an interesting 
story or a collection of stories, or into the 
science and handicraft room, and do some 
experimenting, or make a model in plasticine 
or cardboard of something about which he 
has been reading. This relieves any possi- 
bility of a strain. 

2. But what about the nerve strain upon the 
teacher? 

Certainly, the teacher is kept hard at work 
throughout the morning session, but he has 
the management of his subject in his own 
hands. He can vary his corrections of writ- 
ten work with questions on the subject matter 
set for study; he can take a few children 
round the blackboard for sectional instruc- 
tion on some weak point, or he can go among 
the boys and chat with them about their work. 
These variations will be found quite effective. 

3. How do you prevent boys wasting their time 
while waiting to be marked? 

Each boy who has his work ready to be 
marked writes his name on the blackboard 



220 THE DALTON PLAN 

and tlien goes on with further work. The 
teacher calls out one boy at a time in the 
order of names on the blackboard. 

4. Do you find children wandering aimlessly 
about from one room to another? 

No. Most boys stay in a room for an hour 
or more. We encourage them to finish a 
written answer, map, drawing, or composi- 
tion, when they have begun it, before going 
on with any other subject. 

5. Are your text-books all suitable? 

They are the best we can get for the time 
being. When there is a greater demand for 
text-books suitable for young children pub- 
lishers will respond to it. Teachers should 
examine the newest catalogues and choose for 
themselves. 

6. Do you find any children slacking under the 
new arrangement? 

They cannot slack without being found out. 
Their Work Record Card shows what they 
have done in each subject, and they can be 
asked to produce it at any time by any 
teacher. Then again, by a glance at his own 
Record Book a teacher can see at once if any 
boy is neglecting his subject, and can call him 
up for interview. But the tendency is all the 
other way. The difficulty is to get children 
to give up work at recreation time and home 
time. Many of them work at home of their 
own free will, as no home lessons are given. 

7. How do you manage when too many children 
wish to go into a certain room at the same 
time? 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 221 

Preference is given to those who are less ad- 
vanced in the subject, and to those who have 
only that subject to finish in order to com- 
plete the month's work. The teacher tells 
the children that he wants six, eight, or ten, 
as the case may be, to volunteer to go to an- 
other room for the present; and a sufficient 
number goes immediately without demur. It 
is good training in self-denial. 

8. Will not oral work suffer under this plan? 
There is ample opportunity for oral work and 
for speech training in the afternoon class 
lessons, as will be seen from the time-table; 
and in the morning session conversation is 
frequent among the children themselves, and 
between teacher and child. 

9. What happens when a child loses his Work 
Record Card? 

He has to pay a penny for a new one, and 
also has to take the trouble to get the teachers 
to initial his work over again. This means 
that he loses time and money as well as his 
card, and so he is very careful with it. Few 
have been lost. 

10. Do you find that the style of the written 
work deteriorates? 

Very little. There is a special lesson in the 
afternoon given to correct any tendency in 
this direction. Moreover, slovenly work done 
in the morning session has to be re-written, 
and so the children learn by experience that 
what is worth doing at all is worth doing well. 

11. Do you intend bringing any of the lower 
standards into this scheme? 



222 THE DALTON PLAN 

Possibly Standard III; but, according to our 
present judgment, not below that, though the 
methods in Standards I and II will, in some 
subjects, particularly the three R's, be largely 
individual. It must be remembered that the 
Dalton Plan is not the Montessori System. 

12. Has the freedom allowed had any adverse 
effect on discipline? 

On the contrary, it is a great aid to discipline ; 
it is a training in responsibility and self- 
control. When children are interested and 
have plenty to do there is no trouble with 
discipline. 

13. Have you lockers for the boys? 

No. All have school bags, and each one 
carries his own books and writing materials ; 
each teacher concerned keeps a check on them. 
Material for art work, handicraft and experi- 
mental science are stored in cupboards in the 
allotted rooms. Boys get them as they want 
them and return them to the proper places 
when they have done with them. 

14. How do you deal with a child who has been 
absent, say, for three months? 

We let him continue at the place where he 
left off, but we lessen the amount of work 
in most subjects so as to give him an oppor- 
tunity to recover the lost ground as soon as 
possible. 

15. How do you deal with a child who is very 
backward, say, in arithmetic, and fairly well 
up in the other subjects? 

He is allotted easier work in that subject. 
If necessary, he is given work in it that is a 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 223 

standard lower. In fact, the work is made to 
fit him. We do not attempt the impossible 
task of making him fit the work. 

16. How does a boy proceed when he has com- 
pleted all his subjects for the month with one 
exception, and on going to the particular 
room where that subject is taken he finds all 
the places occupied? 

Such a boy is allowed to go to the teacher 
of that subject, and tell him his work for the 
next month is being held up because he has 
not completed that subject. The teacher asks 
someone whose work is not so urgent to give 
way, and that is invariably done. 

17. You allow boys to talk and move about dur- 
ing work time. Do you find any truth in the 
old saying : ' ' Give them an inch and they will 
take a yard?" 

The saying is true enough in the case of chil- 
dren who have been subjected to the old mili- 
tary discipline. Like children whose parents 
have ruled them with a rod of iron, and like 
army men, when the restrictions are removed 
reaction sets in, and its violence is usually 
proportionate to the preceding pressure. It 
is not true in the case of children brought 
up under saner methods. Certainly we allow 
children to talk and move about. They must 
do that if they are to help one another. But 
the rule is that all conversation must be in 
whispers, and movement from one part of a 
room to another must be for a definite pur- 
pose connected with, the subject. We do not 
find the privilege abused. 



224 THE DALTON PLAN 

18. Is not the Dalton Plan swinging the pendu- 
lum too far in the opposite direction from 
that in which the teacher did nearly all the 
work? 

Not with our arrangement and method. The 
teacher does a good deal in the way of advice, 
help, guidance, and encouragement, only it is 
done with the individual instead of with the 
mass — a much more impressive and effective 
method. And this is in addition to the sec- 
tional and class lessons which are given on 
new work, or in special points in the subjects 
set for study. 

19. When do you allow more freedom of choice 
as regards subjects? 

At present, when a boy has finished his work 
for Standard VII, allotments of mathematics 
and English only are given to him, sufficient 
to occupy six or seven days during the month. 
The remaining time is spent on favourite sub- 
jects; the only requirement is that a record 
of work done shall be kept, and that such work 
shall be examined by the teachers of those 
subjects. In special cases this plan may be 
adopted for children who have not completed, 
and never will complete, the work of Standard 
VII. 

20. My fears are that the inspiration and en- 
thusiasm which passes from teacher to pupils 
in class teaching will disappear under the 
Dalton Plan. What is your view? 

It is true that in some lessons, and particu- 
larly with some teachers, subtle influences 
pass from teacher to children when they are 



DALTON PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 225 

taught in the mass; but scripture, literature, 
music, and some history lessons are almost 
the only subjects where that happens, and 
under our scheme these are taken in class les- 
sons. I am of opinion that the influence of 
a teacher's conversation with an individual 
child on any ordinary academic subject is 
much more potent than what is said in a class 
lesson. Those of us who are older often hear 
sermons or lectures which inspire us, and if 
we are privileged to talk over points with the 
preacher or lecturer afterwards, the etfect is 
much more emphatic and permanent. But 
how many class lessons have children to listen 
to which are boring and useless, and others 
where they are not sufficiently interested to 
ask a question? If we use class teaching and 
individual work in their proper places the 
best results will follow. 



APPENDICES 



Appendix I 

ASSIGNMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED 
IN BRITISH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 

FOUR ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR BOYS 
WHERE THE TEACHERS SPECL^LIZE 

HISTORY. Contract 3. 
First Assignment Standard VII 

1st Period 

The British Empire is one "on which the sun never 
sets." It comprises vast self-governing colonies, like 
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa; 
great dependencies like India, large protectorates like 
Egypt, and wide-spreading possessions like Uganda and 
Nigeria. How was this great Empire built up? To 
answer this question fully and well will be our history 
for the present year. I am sure you will be more than 
interested to read stories of daring adventure showing 
the dogged spirit of discoverers and colonists to bear 
want, and overcome difficulty; a strong sense of right 
and justice on the part of the British race, all of which, 

227 



228 THE DALTON PLAN 

coupled with deeds of valour, glorious victories on land 
and sea, and brilliant statesmanship at home, have 
combined to make this Empire what it is to-day. The 
little Mother-country of England contains only 50,222 
square miles, and yet the British Empire to-day consists 
of nearly 14,000,000 square miles of territory. The 
existence of Greater Britain as a State depends upon 
her maintaining the control of the seas, and it therefore 
follows that our history must begin at that period when 
there was great rivalry between England and other 
nations for the discovery of sea-routes to new lands. 

This week I am asking you to read: 

"The Story of Christopher Columbus," "Piers Plow- 
man," Book 3, pp. 54-61, "Christopher Columbus, and 
the first Voyage to America," "Three famous Voy- 
ages," pp. 5-8. 

This will count for two days' work. Answer the 
questions below, and these will count for three days' 
work. 

Questions: 

1. Make a sketch map showing the known world be- 

fore the voyage of Columbus. 

2. Give an account of the early life of Columbus. 

3. Who discovered the Cape of Good Hope? 

4. How did it get its name? 

Show all your work to me before you mark it upon 
your cards, and do this with all the written work. 

2nd Period 

We shall continue this week the story of Christopher 
Columbus and the first voyage to America. "Three 
famous Voyages," pp. 8-24. 

The reading will count for two days' work, and the 
questions are three days' work. 



APPENDIX I 229 

Questions: 

1. Draw a map to show the course Columbus took 

on his voyage to America. 

2. Write a short story of the voyage of Columbus 

to America. 

3rd Period 

The Tudor period is called "the Age of Discovery," 
and all the sovereigns of this period showed their in- 
terest in the new lands. It was the beginning of our 
great Empire. 

Read: "Trade and Discovery," "Columbus and 
Cabot," "Self Help History," pp. 38-44. 

This is a day's work; the questions given below will 
count for four days' work. 

Questions: 

1. Why is the Tudor period called the Age of Dis- 

covery ? 

2. Name the two countries most anxious to discover 

a sea-route to India. 

3. Say how they set about the task. 

4. Why were the new sea-routes necessary? 

5. What do you know of the Cabots and their famous 

voyages ? 

4th Period 

We are going to read the story of how the Portuguese 
were the first to double the Cape of Good Hope and 
discovered a sea-route to India. 

The reading will be three days' work, and the ques- 
tions will make up the other two days. 

Read: "Vasco da Gama and the first voyage to India 
round the Cape of Good Hope," "Three famous 
Voyages," pp. 25-47. 



230 THE DALTON PLAN 

Questions: 

1. Draw a map illustrating Vasco da Gama's voyage 

to India. 

2. Give the names of the three vessels and their com- 

manders. 

3. Who was Davane? Why were his services valu- 

able to Da Gama? 

ENGLISH LITERATURE. Contract 1. 
First Assignment Standard V 



1st Period 

This month's job will be to make a study of the 
Ballad. 

A Ballad is a simple spirited poem which tells graph- 
ically some well-known incident. 

Repeat to yourself the nursery rhyme: 

"Old King Cole was a merry old soul, 
And a merry old soul was he." 

Count the number of syllables in each line, and the 
number of accents. When you read the three Ballads 
we have chosen you will find they were written in this 
old metre — it is the popular ballad metre. 

*'The Revenge" (A Ballad of the Fleet), Tennyson 
(Boys' Book of Poetry, III). 
1. Before you read the poem take from the shelf in the 
history room "Scenes from Tudor Times." You 
will find on page 130 a most interesting account of 
the last fight of the Revenge by Sir Walter Ral- 
eigh, who was alive when the events took place 
and had first-hand information. Tennyson based 
his poem on this account. Read Raleigh's story 
carefully. When you read the poem you will be 



APPENDIX I 231 

pleased to find how cleverly the poet has turned 
the story into verse. (This is one day's work.) 
Note: "Whenever you read a poem: 

1. Read it straight through. Get a general idea of the 

thoughts it contains, and enter into the rhythm or 
beat of the verse. Do not stop over words you do 
not understand. 

2. Now go over the poem again. Do not pass over any 

word or passage you do not understand. Your 
dictionary will help a good deal. Above all, 
tMnh about the difficulty, try to get at the idea 
which lies behind the words. Write down a list 
of the words you have had to look up and learn 
them. 

3. Now read the poem straight through again. You 

will enjoy it more on account of the clearer under- 
standing with which you will be able to read it. 

4. Read the poem in the way suggested. Find the 

Azores on your map (off the coast of America). 
If you find any difficulty you cannot solve ask 
about it. (This is two days' work.) 

5. Imagine you were one of the crew of the Revenge. 

"Write an account of the fight. (This is two days* 
work. ) 
Hand in your book when you have completed the 
composition. 

2nd Period 

"The Defence of Lucknow," Tennyson (Boys' Book 
of Poetry, III). 
1. Take from the history room Warner's ** Survey of 
British History." Read the account of the Indian 
Mutiny, pp. 222-225. You will then understand 
how the men, women, and children became shut 
up in Lucknow. Notice who the leader of the 
defence was, and who led the relieving force. (One 
day's work.) 



232 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Read the poem in the way suggested last week. 

(Two days' work.) 

3. Write down any lines which you think specially 

striking. If you can, add a note saying why you 
think them fine. (One day's work.) 

4. Can you see any ways in which the poet makes the 

story vivid? If so, say what they are, and illus- 
trate with lines from the poem. (One day's work.) 
Hand in your book when you have completed this 
poem. 

3rd Period 

"The Last of the Eurydice," J. N. Paton (Boys' 
Book of Poetry, II). 

1. Read the poem in the way suggested. Note the 

metre. 

2. Follow on a map the homeward course of the ship 

from the Indian Sea. Find all places mentioned 
on the map. 

3. Notice how the poem faUs naturally into the follow- 

ing sections: 

Verses 1-2. Introduction. 
Verses 3-5. The journey home. 
Verses 6-8. The coming of the storm. 
Verse 9. The wreck. 
A poem which tells a story always foUows some such 
definite plan. 

4. Write an account of the breaking of the storm. 

(Imagine you are Fletcher.) (This will count as 
five days' work.) 

4th Period 

Commit to memory "The Last of the Eurydice." 
Report to me when you know it. (Four days' work.) 

Note what was said about the sections into which a 
"story poem" can be divided. Treat "The Re- 
venge" in the same way as I did the "Eurydice." 



APPENDIX I 233 

Write the divisions in your book. (One day's work.) 
Hand in your book when you have finished. 

ARITHMETIC. Contract 1. 
First Assignment Standard V 

1st Period 

This month you will spend chiefly in revision of 
Standard IV work. Revision simply means doing some 
work that you have already done once, over again, to 
make sure you have not forgotten it. 

Let us see what you already know. You know some- 
thing about Fractions and Simple Decimals. You also 
know the Long Rules. By Long Rules we mean long 
multiplication and long divisions, that is, multiplication 
and division by bigger numbers than 12 without using 
factors. 

For the first week's work, then, you will revise the 
Long Rules. In MacDougall's "Suggestive Arithme- 
tic," Book 5, you will find examples of multiplication 
and division worked for you on page 2. Study these 
carefully, and ask me about anything you don't under- 
stand. Then work at least three sums out of each of 
the exercises A and B. That will count for two days* 
work. Then work Exercise 5 in the "New Sovereign 
Arithmetic, ' ' Book 5, either X or Y. That will be three 
days' work. 

As soon as yon have finished an exercise bring it out 
to be corrected. 

2nd Period 

The second week's work will still be revision of Long 
Rules, but this time you wiU multiply and divide sums 
of money, weights, and measures, etc. 

In MacDougall's "Suggestive Arithmetic," Book 5 
(in future we will call them just "suggestive") you 
will find several examples worked for you on pages 4 
and 6. Read these carefully and then work one sum 



234 THE DALTON PLAN 

of each kind out of the exercises. You should then 
be able to turn to page 11 and work either A, B, or 
C. If you prefer it, work either X or Y of Exercise 
25 in the *'New Sovereign," page 7. 

3rd Period 

There are some short ways of multiplying and divid- 
ing by certain numbers. You will find some of them 
mentioned on page 11 of "Elementary Workshop 
Arithmetic." Pay particular attention to multiplying 
and dividing by 25 and 125. In some of these you will 
have to use your knowledge of Decimals. 

For the first two days, make up some easy examples 
of your own in the short multiplication and division by 
25 and 125. You can test your answers by the long 
method. For the next three days' work read what it 
says about Measures of Numbers in "New Sovereign," 
5, and work X or Y of Exercise 27. 

4th Period 

For this fourth week's work you will learn what it 
says on page 9 of "New Sovereign," 5, about Multiples 
of Numbers. 

There are two ways of finding the L.C.M. I think 
the second way (by factors) is the easier for what you 
want. You will find this work useful when you come 
to do Addition and Subtraction of Vulgar Fractions. 

Learning the meaning of the terms, and understand- 
ing the examples given, counts for two days' work. 
Exercise 28 (either X or Y) is one day's work. 
Exercise 29 (either X or Y) is two days' work. 

NATURE, SCIENCE, AND DRAWING. Contract 2. 

First Assignment Standard VI 

1st Period 

1, The first subject for study is the working of soil. 
You have seen men digging, hoeing, raking, and 



APPENDIX I 235 

weeding gardens and allotments, but do you know 
why they do it? You will be able to gather some 
useful information from "The Vegetable Garden," 
chap. V. This is one day's work. When you have 
read the chapter write down the reasons for trench- 
ing heavy soil. (This is two days' work.) 

2. Construct a scale 1 in. to 1 ft. and draw the front 

of the cupboard to that scale. (This is two days' 
work. ) 

3. Draw the objects set up for you. (One day's work.) 

2nd Period 

1. Last week you learned the value of working soil, and 

how it enabled plants to get at their food. This 
week we shall find out what that food consists of. 
Read the paragraph on the Plant Foods, page 36 in 
the "Vegetable Garden," as far as "cheapness of 
them" on page 43. 
Answer questions 14 and 15 on page 49. (This will 
count for two days' work.) 

2. Construct a scale l^/^ in. to 1 ft. and draw the black- 

board to scale. (This is two days' work.) 

3. Draw the objects set up. (This is one day's work.) 

3rd Period 

1. This week we continue the study of Plant Foods. You 

must gather what you can from page 43 about 
Fertilizers. Read to the end of the chapter. (This 
is one day's work.) Answer question 10 on page 
49. (This will count for another day's work.) 

2. Construct a scale 2 in. to 1 ft. to read 4 foot and 

showing inches. Draw to that scale the top of your 
desk. (This is two days' work.) 

3. Select an object at home, study it carefully and 

draw it from memory at school. 



236 THE DALTON PLAN 



4th Period 

1. This week I want you to learn all you can about 

farmyard manure. You must read pages 40-43. 
(One day's work.) Answer me the following ques- 
tions in your books: 
What are the chief plant foods and what effect each 
has on plants? (This is one day's work.) 

2. Take a scale of 1 in. to 1 yard and draw a plan of 

the room. (This is two days' work.) 

3. Draw the objects set up for you. 

ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM SEVERAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 
WHERE THE TEACHERS SPECIALIZE 

Contract II 1922 HISTORY Class 11 

1st Week 

Our last contract closed with a study of Town Life 
in early Tudor days; we shall now note the changes 
that are seen by the end of the period. Study ''Town 
Life in Queen Elizabeth's Days," chap. vii. p. v. In 
your note-book set out a clear statement of the changes, 
and account for them. Come to me for extra reading. 

2nd Week 

We shall now begin a study of the changes in religion 
and how they affected the people. Study chap, iii, p. v, 
"The Dissolution of the Monasteries." Learn the an- 
swers to these questions: 

What good work had monasteries done during the 
warlike Middle Ages? 

Why were they no longer so greatly needed? 



APPENDIX I 237 

Wliy did Henry VIII want to get rid of them? 

How did he set about it ? What happened to priors, 
monks, building land, other treasures, e.g., books, plate, 
carved oak? 

What did the poor think about it? 

3rd Week 

Let us now consider the changes in the parish 
churches from chap, iv, p. v. Find out and jot down 
the condition of the Church and its services before the 
Reformation ? 

After the Reformation? 

Notice that now the King was Head of the Church, 
fresh changes came with every new sovereign. Place a 
record of the changes under the name of each sovereign 
in whose reign they took place. 

4th Week 

This week T want you to read aU you can about 
Wolsey. Begin with "Builders of History," Book III. 
He is an example of a great churchman in the days 
before the Reformation, when churchmen took also high 
positions in the State. Other books about Wolsey shall 
be placed on the table. 

GEOGRAPHY 

Last month's contract gave us a study of Highlands. 
This month we will consider the Lowland countries of 
Holland and Belgium. Read in Palmer's "Europe," 
p. 92, the chapter on an ocean conquest, to see what a 
fight the Dutch had to win and secure their land from 
the sea. Study from the next chapter the appearance 
of this flat land and the work of the Dutch upon it. 
Learn points of interest about the towns from pp. 88, 
89, and all there is about Holland in T.B. 



238 THE DALTON PLAN 

2nd Week 

This week I want you to read as many descriptive 
extracts about Holland as you can, then depict in words : 
*'A Dutch Scene" as Composition in Geography. 

Note-books. The books available will be indicated on 
board. 

3rd Week 

I should like every girl to read chap, vii in the little 
green book "Europe and Britain"; and also to study 
Belgium from Palmer, pp. 103, 108, and from Townley, 
as well as from T.B. 

Jot down the reasons for her being such a prosperous 
little country. Read all you can about Brussels, Bruges, 
Ghent, Antwerp, Namur, Liege, Mons. 

4th Week 

This week we will take some practical map work. Trace 
the outlines of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, and 
Switzerland, separately ; paste the tracings on cardboard 
and cut out. All maps of countries should be on the 
same scale so that you can fit them together. This will 
help you to visualize their shape and their relation to 
one another. Still continue to read stories and extracts 
about the western countries of Europe. 

Group 4: GEOGRAPHY Standardly 

1st Month 

I. Position of England in world. (Old lesson.) 
Study chap, i, Lay's "British Isles." 
Questions: 

1. Why is it cooler in England than in Africa? 

2. Why are there fishing towns on the east coast of 

British Isles? 



APPENDIX I 239 

3. Why has Britain become the greatest naval power 
in the world? 

II. Oral Lesson. Making of weather chart. 
Question: Trace outline map of England; shade places 

where wheat is grown. 

III. Study chap, ii, pp. 12-15, in "Human Geography." 
Oral Lesson. Orchard lands. 

1. On outline map shade in parts where fruit is grown. 

2. Show what the fruit farmers' work is from spring 

to autumn. 

3. Explain why fruit is grown so plentifully in Kent. 

2nd Month 

I. Oral Lesson. Making of weather chart. (For those 

who have completed previous syllabus.) 
Questions: 

1. Draw a map of south-east England and put in the 

high ground and the orchard lands. 

2. Copy the diagrams showing the positions of Canter- 

bury and Maidstone. 

II. Study chap, iii, pp. 22, 26, ''Pennine Moorlands." 

1. Describe a journey from the valleys up to the 
Pennine moorlands. 

III. Study chap, iii, pp. 26-29, "Pennine Moorlands." 
1. Draw a map of the Pennine moorlands, showing and 

naming gaps, and mark in the railways. 

IV. Test. 

3rd MontU 

Oral Lesson List. 

1. The course of a river : its uses. 

2. Contour lines : how they are made from .model. 

3. Interpretation of contour lines or how to under- 

stand what a country looks like by looking at 
contour lines (mountains, valleys, etc.). 



240 THE DALTON PLAN 

Private Study. 

I. Study chap, iv, pp. 30-33. 

Make notes on following questions : 

1. Why must a market town be in a good position 

for trade ? Say what you think a good position 
means. 

2. Explain the position of York. Show why the 

Romans and Normans chose it as a town and 
built a castle there. Name the river flowing 
through it. 

3. What kind of things would you expect to find 

on sale at York ? 

4. Draw diagram showing position of York. 

II. Study pp. 33-38. Answer some questions on Carlisle 

and Lancaster as were asked about York. 
Note why counties were divided into shires and 
what marked the divisions. 

III. Study pp. 41-44. Make notes on woollen manu- 

facture: (a) at home, (&) in factories. Use 
Encyclopedia, pp. 26, 262, 359, 750. 



4th Month 

I. Drawing of sections from contour map. 

Study pp. 43-46 and make notes on the manufac- 
ture of cotton goods from the growing of cotton, 
to the finishing of the cloth. 

II. Short oral lesson on "Docks." Study pp. 47-51. 
(a) Why is it necessary to have harbours — what kind 

of things do ships carry to and from England? 
Why is water transport cheaper than land? 
Describe or draw two kinds of harbours. 
What part of a river is called the estuary? 
What is a "Dry Dock"; what kind of work is 

done there? 



APPENDIX I 241 

III. Study pp. 51-58. 

1. Why is the Humber estuary very suitable for a 

port? 
What is the port there and what trade does it do ? 

2. Why is the estuary of the Mersey a good place for 

a cotton port? 
On what part of the river is Liverpool? 

3. Why was Liverpool unimportant until recently, 

and why has it now become second in impor- 
tance ? 

4. What is meant by exports and imports? 

5. Which is the biggest cotton market? Why was 

the Manchester Ship Canal cut? 
IV. 

1. Why is Newcastle an important town? 

(a) Note position at important cross roads. 
(&) Note estuary, 
(c) Note work done. 

2. Where does food for factory towns come from? 

3. Make notes on fishing — say where each kind is 

found: (a) those caught with a drift net, (&) 
those caught with hook. 

4. What are fishing smacks and trawlers? 

5. Copy fig. 19, p. 58, showing Dogger Bank, Yar- 

mouth Roads, and fishing towns. 

ENGLISH (10 years) 

3rd Week 

Composition. 

A Description. If it is well done I shall be able to 
picture it in my mind, seeing every little detail — just 
as you were able to do in the sentences of last week's 
language lesson. 

Now, of course, it is impossible to give me something 
you don't possess. So it is absolutely necessary that 



242 THE DALTON PLAN 

you should have a clear picture before you write a 
word. 

Choose your subject, then forget everything else, close 
your eyes, and let the picture form into shape. Do not 
stop at the first flash, but stay till you have every detail, 
just as though you were on the spot really looking. 

Choose your subject from the following: 

1, Describe the scene at a busy railway station. 

2, Describe a house on fire. 

3, (For A and B only.) Describe any particular 

place on an autumn morning. 

Language, 

The lesson this week needs careful thought, 
1st Day. Study the sentences given on pp. 39-40 (Les- 
son 18). 

Think over the words given in black type. They show 
you something very useful to you in your composi- 
tion. By changing a word a little, we may give it 
another use. In the words given you, notice the 
change made. "With these words notice how we can 
compare things. 

You are to stop at the line on p. 41, and do the exer- 
cise on p. 41. 
2nd Day. Study the rest of the lesson. There is some- 
thing very important to learn here. Find out what 
it is and learn before Thursday, when I shall ask 
you about it. Do Exercise VII. 

Reading, 

Chaps, 6, 7, 8, 

Read through the questions, to remind yourself first. 
Make a list of all the words you do not know the mean- 
ing of. Try to find out by the way it is used in the 
book or by asking. 



APPENDIX I 243 

ENGLISH 
Class IV. (Average age 10 years)' 

4th Week 

Composition, 

A Description. 

Turn to p. 50, N.E, Books. Read through the whole 
of Lesson 22, picturing each little description. 

Now think about your subject for the week. Close 
your eyes and picture it. Arrange your time so that 
you do this just before you have an opportunity of 
actually studying it. Compare your mind picture with 
the real one. See where your thoughts were clear, and 
study the hazy ideas carefully to get those clear too. 
Every little detail must appear in your description. 

Do not forget that you cannot describe well without 
good, fitting adjectives. Lesson 9 will give you illustra- 
tions of this: 

Subjects : 

(a) Describe someone whom you know well. 
(&) Describe the picture of the Red Indian Chiefs 
round their camp fire. 

Language. 

Joining words. Lesson 19. 

After this lesson you will be privileged to use "and" 
and "but" in joining sentences. In most cases you 
have used these words, especially "and," badly and 
repeatedly. 

Study the sentences on p. 43. Find out when "and" 
is the best word for joining. Find out ivJiy. You will 
now be able to make use of it in a similar way in your 
compositions. Study the use of "but" as a joining 



244 THE DALTON PLAN 

word. It is only the best word for joining when used 
in this way. 

You may complete the sentences on the next page 
using "and" or "but" correctly. Write them in your 
private notebooks. 

Third day's language will be a test on the work you 
have studied during the month. 

Eeading. 

Complete "The Cuckoo Clock." 
Answer the questions (on paper). 

Div. I (a) ENGLISH Contract I 

Assignment 2 (age 13) 

This week we shall continue with Sentence Structure 
(see Lesson 5). 

The model paragraph given illustrates the use of two 
classes of verbs. What are they? What is their effect? 

Notice further that action denoted by a Transitive 
Verb can be expressed in two ways. These two forms 
of the Transitive Verb secure variety in structure. 

Examine the paragraph carefully, and analyse its 
build. Then write the answer to Exercise I, p. 42. 

The Essay which you prepared in the rough last week 
must come in this week in its finished state. 

Additional Work for Keen People. 

Change the following sentences from loose to periodic, 
and state the difference in emphasis: 

1. The child pocketed the money and tucked the 

bread under his thin little arm, and trudged 
out of the shop. 

2. Just then she covered her face with her hands, 

for she could not bear to watch the ascent. 



APPENDIX I 245 

3. He waited, standing in a bright spot, surrounded 

by glittering windows filled with bright 
colours. 

4. It had been snowing in a leisurely way all the 

long dreary day, so that the roofs and window- 
sills of the tiny scattered cottages in the little 
village on the mountain were piled high with 
thick white covers of spotless snow. 

Assignment 3 

You should enjoy the study set for this week, its title 
suggests pleasure. Extract aU the beauty that lurks 
in the example before you in Lesson 6, and feel the 
power of the figures of speech illustrated. 

R. L. Stevenson was a master of the art of hitting 
upon the most striking comparison. In your reading, 
especially of his works, be always on the look-out for 
illustrations. 

Answer Exercise I, p. 46, writing one thought about 
each idea. State in each ease whether you have used 
Metaphor or Simile. 

Essay. Stevenson says we get entertainment pretty 
much in proportion as we give. And this is one 
reason why the world is dull to dull persons. Illus- 
trate this thought. See ''An Inland Voyage." 

Class II 4 ASSIGNMENTS Contract II 

(Girls aged 11 and 12 years) 

Arithmetic Assignment 
I. 

1. What do you understand by the Metric System? 

2. Write the prefixes which denote 100 times, yx^, 

•jij, 10 times, and ^ws- 

3. What is the Metric unit of (1) capacity, (2) 

weight, (3) coinage, (4) length? 



246 THE DALTON PLAN 

4. What is the English equivalent of (1) a litre, (2)' 

a kilogramme, (3) a metre? 
"Work Loney, page 70. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 
'' " " 9, 10, 11, 12. 
" ** " " '' 13, 14, 15, 16. 

II. 

What is a multiple of a given number? 

What do you understand by **a common multiple of 

two or more numbers"? 
What is the least Common Multiple of such numbers ? 
What is a prime number? 

How do you find the L.C.M. of two prime numbers? 
Give the L.C.M. of 4 and 5, 8 and 9, 1 and 7, 14 and 

15, 19 and 3, 16 and 7, 24 and 13. 
Break up the following numbers into their prime 

factors: 18, 104, 35, 26, 32, 96, 54. 
What is the L.C.M. of 4 and 6, 9 and 6, 2 and 9, 8 

and 12, 21 and 9, 35 and 15, 21 and 49, 24 and 

35? 
Work Loney, page 22. Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4. 

" ** " 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 

III. 

What do you understand by (1) a proper fraction, 
(2) an improper fraction, (3) a mixed number? 
Work Loney, page 27. Nos. 4-9. 



<< ( ( 


'' 27. 


< ( 


15-20. 


(< << 


" 29. 


( ( 


1-8. 


(( <( 


'* 30. 


< ( 


4-8. 


(( tt 


♦♦ 30. 


<( 


9-12, 14. 


T. 

Work Loney, 


page 31. 


Nos. 


42-16. 


<( <( 


'* 31. 


i I 


21-25. 


(( <( 


" 32. 


i( 


15-22. 


(( (( 


" 33. 


( i 


19-23. 


<< (( 


" 33. 


<( 


41-44. 



Assignments from Elementary Schools Work 

One teacher assigns the work to be 



CONTRACT ASSIGNMEN 





ARITHMETIC. 


HISTORY. 






General Tests, to include 
AT Least Five Sums. 


Prep. 


Tests. 


Handwork. 




Jan. 13 


Memorize. Easy Decimals and 


Write complete notes on 


Write an account 


Make plans 


Writt 




Percentages. 


France throughout the 


of the 


of the 


in: 




f Clock Sums. 


century: 


French 


Battles of 


Ho 




Reeise. < Race Sums. 


Settlement, 1815; 


Revolutionary 


Trafalgar. 


CoU 




I Speed Sums. 


Reyol. agst. Absolutism; 


Wars 


Waterloo. 


'I'ro 




Tols. Practice, 3. 


Revol. agst. Capitalism; 


under Periods. 




Ten 




Study. Proportional Tests. 


Revol. agst. Imperialism; 






Ura 




General Tests. 3. 


.\ Republic. 






Give 
ohoi 
mai 


20 


Practical. Model ( Long, 


Draw up a chart of the 


Compare the 


Draw and cut. 


Give 




to show: ■! Square, 


Revolutions in Europe in 


methods of govt. 


out six 


CO 




1 Cub. Meas. 


1830, 


in European 


suitable 


1 




p ■ IS. and C. Interest. 
^""'- \ S. and C. Proportion. 


1848. 


Countries in 


illustrations 


W 






181.5-1919. 


of English 


C( 




Study. Metric System. 


Give Causes and Results. 




History, 


W 




Speed Test. Std. IV, * hr. 




Explain and give 


1815-1848. 






General Tests. 2. 




dates of changes. 




Nam 


27 


Memorize. Wide Measure. 


Write notes on the Coloni- 


Explain in 


On a map of 


Com] 




( Reductions. 


zation of Europ. Countries 


own words 


the world 


Cana 




Revise. < Bringingtoder.snd'^r,, 


in 


six important 


show by flags 






I Irreg. Areas. 


Asia, 


European 


colonies of 


Clim 




Study. Exchange Sums. 


Africa, 


Treaties. 


European 




Speed Test. Mechan. Rates. 


America. 


Dates, 


Countries. 






General Tests. 2. 




Clauses. 




Veg 

Mil 
Ind 


Feb. 3 


Practical. Draw to scale: 


Make a chart, showing 


Show why the 


Make a clay 


Stud 




H. water, j Allow 


chief events of century, 


period after 1870 


model of 


of As 




Ceiling, < fireplace. 


in 


is called the 


a Battleship 


and 




Floor. 1 window. 


Germany, 


Era of Alliances. 


or 


feren 




r L.C.M., H.C.F., 


Italy, 




Aeroplane 


phvs 




D„.v.-, J Practice, 
^'"'''- 1 Red. of V.F.'s. 


England, 




or 


and 




France, 




Submarine. 


and 1 




I D.F. of %. 


Russia. 










Study. Stocks. 












Speed Test. Std. V. 












General Tests. 2. 











SUPPLEMENTARY FOR Ex. V 



One hour extra per week may be spent on \, 
Individual records must be kept, showing d( 



^ on the Dalton Plan without Specialisation 

le by her own class in all subjects 



No. 3 


), JANUARY, 1922. 






GEOGRAPHY. 


ENGLISH. 


LITERATURE. 




Tesps. 


Handwo.tk. 


Debate. Girl Guides. 
Essay. Washington Conference. 
Reply to following- 


"Fifth Format St. Dominic's" 
(Read half). 
"Nature and the Poet." 








oil life 


Name a region 


Draw a 


Office boy. smart, good hand- 


Wordsworth. 




of: 


Route Map 


writing, accurate figures. 


(Summarize.) 


rt, 


Enterprise, 


of World, 


Apply, stating full particulars, 


"Twelfth Night." 


rt, 


Backwardness, 


showing 


to C. Kent and Co., 4 High 


Continue 2nd Scene, ten 


est. 


Large Popul., 


Cargoes. 


St., Boston. 


lines. 


rest, 


Waste, 




Write a few lines to illustrate all 


Select Prose Extract. 


ds. 


.Advantages, 




punctuation marks you know. 




cts and 


Disadvan- 








tion oil 


tages. 
Describe them. 








cessary 


Show how far 


Make a Clay 


Debate. Children and Cinema 


" Fifth Form at St. Dominic's" 


18 for 


Britain is self- 


Mode! of 


Shows. 


(Read to end). 


of 


supporting and 


River 


Essay. Story of Ireland. 


"Realm of Fancy." Keats. 


lice. 


how far de- 


Valley, 


Telegram enquiring for watch left 


Short notes and favourite 


Tea, 


pendent in: 


Mtn. Range. 


behind at holiday boarding 


lines. 


ugar. 


Commodities, 




house. 


" Twelfth Night." 




Trade. 




Describe the most striking ad- 


Scene continued. 


regions 






vertisement you have seen. 


Memorize Prose Extract. 


Bh. 






Analyze a poem. 




idia and 


In India and 


Make a 


Debate. L.C.C. Economy. 


"Fifth Form at St. Dominic's" 




Canada, 


Cardboard 


Essay. The "Quest." 


(Short argument of Story). 


jatitude, 


mention and 


Model of 


Make a list of chief points you 


"Ode to Autumn." Keats. 


Vinds, 


describe all 


C.P.R. 


would expect from a boy or 


(Paraphase any twelve 


Vioisture, 


special regions 




girl seeking situation in your 


lines.) 


)ea. 


of industry. 




office. 


"Twelfth Night." 


n, 






The Use of the Telephone. 


(Fully describe two charac- 


Vealth, 

3. 






Three Nouns from Verbs. 
Three Verbs from .Adjectives. 
Three -Adjectives from .Adverbs. 


ters.) ^ 
Select Historical Poem. 


ountries 


Draw Sketch 


Make a 


Debate. Domestic Centres. 


"Fifth Form at St. Dominic's." 


ind out. 


Map of, and 


Cardboard 


Essr.y. London Sales. 


Characters, 1 


the dif- 


describe, 


Mode! of 


Make out handbill for entertain- 


Scenes, > Notes. 


3ns chief 


Asia Minor. 


Globe, 


ment in aid of Local Charity. 


Setting. _ J 


features 


Show its main 


colouring 


" Myself." A description. 


Make lists, with authors, of 


railways 


communica- 


Climatic 


Give examples of: 


poema on 




tions. 


Belts. 


Direct and Indirect Speech. 
Active and Passive Voice. 
Direct and Indirect Object. 


Birds, 
Flowers, 
Seasons, 
Love. 
Memorize Historical Poem. 


^11 WH 


EN FINISHED 


ASSIGNMEN 


T). 





vorite Subject; i . 

icational Subject (to aid future career), 
i of Subjects Studied. 



To face -page 21^7. 



APPENDIX I 247 



ASSIGNMENTS 

FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WORKING 
ON THE DALTON PLAN WITHOUT 
SPECIALIZATION 

One teacher assigns the work to be done hy her own 
class in all subjects. In this same way the Dalton 
Plan could be used by teachers of ungraded or rural 
schools. 



See Contract Assignment Chart, folded insert 

B 

Corrections to he done first 

ARITHMETIC. Longman, pp. 29 and 30. 

ENGLISH. Lay, Exercises 30, 30. Write from memory 
"Winter." 
Write your impressions of Westminster Abbey. 

LITERATURE. Read two more "Parables from 
Nature" stories. Write titlas in literature books 
of all the Parables and poems you know. 

GEOGRAPHY. Lay's "Europe," chaps. 3 and 4. 

Questions: 

1. Draw a sketch map of the English Channel with 

the help of the book ; then without the book, put 
in the chief ports (both French and English) 
and ocean routes. 

2. Giving about five lines to each, tell what you know 

of the following: Landes, Seine and its basin, 
Pari.s, Riviera, and Marseilles. 

3. What is the importance of: (a) Toulon, (&) Canal 

du Midi, (c) Lille? 
What are the most important products of France? 



248 THE DALTON PLAN 

HISTORY. ''The New Liberty," pp. 32-51. 
Questions: 

1. As concisely as possible give the character of Henry 

VIII. 

2. What do you know of: (a) the Battle of the Spurs, 

(h) the Battle of Flodden Field? 
Give the causes, results, and dates in both cases. 

3. Describe the character of Thomas Wolsey ; give the 

chief events in his life. 

4. Explain fully why Luther has been given such a 

high place in the world's history. 

PAPER L 

GEOGRAPHY. ^'Russia, MacKinder." 266-274. 

Lay, 91-103. 
Questions: 

1. Prepare 103-104, Lay. 

2. Sketch map on p. 98, Lay. 
Reference Book: Herbertoors, 63-66. 

ENGLISH. 

1. Prepare a speech. 

2. Write a letter to a miser pointing out the absurdity 

of his life. Be courteous and convincing. 

3. Spelling. L. March 68-73. 

4. Study "The Merchant of Venice." 

HISTORY. Oliver Cromwell. John Drinkwater. 

Piers Plowman. 92-101. 
Questions: 

1. Had you been alive in the Civil War on what side 

would you have been on and why? 

2. Your opinion of Wentworth: what makes you hold 

that opinion? 

3. State briefly what led to the Civil War. 
4a. What do you know of the Ironsides? 

4&. What was the Self Denying Ordnance? Wliy 
was it necessary. 



Appendix II 

ASSIGNMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED 

IN THE COUNTY SECONDARY SCHOOL, 

STEEATHAM 

HISTORY SYLLABUS IX 

Form IV 
Aged 14. 

Subjects for Study: 

The Commonwealth, 1649-1660. 

1. The different attempts to rule England after death, 

1649. 

2. The Foreign Policy of Cromwell. 

3. Failure of the Puritan Rule under Richard Crom- 

well. Events leading to the return of the King. 

1. Attempts to Rule England. 

1. Notice King and House of Lords abolished. A 

Council of State established. What really 
was the power behind this? 

2. Study how Cromwell tried to rule with Parlia- 

ment. "Why did the rule of the Saints' (Bare- 
bone's) Parliament fail? 
3. Army now plans Instrument of Government, 
1653. Make notes on its terms. Notice how 
Cromwell still attempts to rule with Parlia- 
249 



250 THE DALTON PLAN 

ment. Failure — because that body refuses to 
govern, but discusses instead. 
4. Government now falls back to the Army. Note 
the powers of the Major-Generals. Why were 
they hated? 
5. Last op Cromw:ell's Parliaments. 

Study the document Humble Petition and 
Advice, "What addition was made to the Gov- 
ernment ? 
Notice Cromwell's work in Scotland and Ireland 
to crush the Eoyalists. 

Exercise: How far did Cromwell carry out in his 
government the principles for which Parliament 
had fought in the Civil War? 

2, Cromwell's Foreign Policy. 

1. Study the ideas underlying Cromwell's relations 

with foreign countries. Note his attitude to 
France, Spain, and Holland. Make an esti- 
mate of his prestige amongst foreign powers. 

2. Notice the use of the Fleet in (1) capture of 

Jamaica, 1655, (2) destruction of pirates, (3) 
war with Holland. 

3. Events between Death of Cromwell and Restora- 

tion OF Charles II, 1660. 

(a) Study character of Richard Cromwell and his 

failure to rule 
(6) Notice carefully signs which indicate a desire 

to return to old methods of government. 

(c) Part played by the Army and General Monk. 

(d) Declaration of Breda. Return of Charles II. 

Where had he been? Terms of return. 
Think over and discuss the following questions : 
Was the Civil War in vain, as the Commonwealth 
was overthrown on the return of the King ? What 



APPENDIX II 261 

good to England remained as a legacy from the 

period of Puritan rule? 
Books: "Warner and Marten, Part II; Tout; Thom- 
son; "Piers Plowman," Book VII; "Documents," pp. 
571-586; Milton's "Poems on Cromwell"; Novel: 
"Woodstock/' by Scott. 

GEOGRAPHY SYLLABUS IX 
For Girls of 15, after a year's work on the British Isles 

Lower V (4 periods per week) 

Subject for Study: 

A survey of the commerce of the British Isles — ^the 
reasons for the position of the United Kingdom in 
the trade of the world. 

1. Natural Advantages of British Isles. 

Study the position of British Isles with regard 
to Europe and the surrounding seas. World 
position. Note harbours, river mouths, and 
ports. Think over the advantages of the 
climate of British Isles and the consequences 
of these advantages upon products. 

2. Our Food Supply. 

Make a survey of agriculture during the last 
twenty years. 
Home Notice home supply of meat and its inade- 
supplies. quacy. Study the fishing industry, distri- 
bution of fish for home and export consump- 
tion. 
Foreign From where do we obtain wheat and other 



252 THE DALTON PLAN 

Supplies, grains? Source of our meat supplies, fruit 
and dairy produce from across sea. 

3. The Industries of British Isles. 

Study the textile industries. 

Notice those with home supplies of raw ma- 
terial. 

Notice those with foreign supplies of raw 
material. 

Make a careful study of the ''Associated In- 
dustries" (dyeing, bleaching, chemicals, 
soap-making, oil-refining). 

Find out all you can of the iron and steel 
industry. 

Chief centres of engineering and shipbuilding. 
Coal trade. 

4. Transport. 

Internal. — Railway versus road — the modern 
problem for passengers and goods. 

Find out new air services to the Continent, 
and times taken. 

5. Export and Import Trade. 

Summarize this trade of the United Kingdom, 
noting the country and destination of ex- 
port, and country of origin of import. 

Exercises. — Answer one of the following: 

1. Point out the relation of quick, cheap transport 

to trade. How does the transport problem 
affect Britain's external and internal trade? 

2. Explain the dependence of the United Kingdom 

upon foreign supplies of raw material. How 
far is the British Empire self-supporting? 



APPENDIX II 253 

Books: Atlas (notice also maps on board) ; Chambers' 
"Commercial Geography"; Adams' "Commercial 
Geography"; Howarth's "Commercial Geography"; 
"Britain and British Seas," chap, i, ii, xiv, xv, xix; 
* ' Natural Wealth of Britain, ' ' chaps, xvii-xxii. Look up 
the "Times Trade Supplements"; Daily Newspapers. 

ENGLISH 
Summer Term 1922 
Aged 14 Form IV 1st Month 

"Macbeth." 

Bead Acts I and II. Act I, 1: What purpose is 
served by this scene? Act I, 2: Give meaning of 
kerns, gallow-glass, Golgotha. Why does king con- 
fer title on Macbeth? Write a summary of hap- 
penings from Act II, beginning to end. 

Learn Act I, 5, lines 13-28. 

"Poems of Homeland," Book IL 

Read "Poems on Home," Section VI. 

What impressions of British Isles would these 
poems give you if you were a foreigner? 

Which poem do you think contains the most beauti- 
ful descriptions? Quote and give your impres- 
sions. 

Which shows deepest patriotic feeling? 

Does any poem strike you as being rather false in 
sentiment? If so, why? 

"London River.'' 
Why is poem written in this metre? 
Write out simply what the poem is about. 



254 THE DALTON PLAN 

"Write out phrases whieli strongly suggest sound; 
phrases which sound fine or beautiful. 

What passage seems most to suggest the flow of the 
river ? 

"Wliat characteristics of the English does this poem 
speak of? 

Give one example of following: alliteration, antith- 
esis, onomatopoeia. 



Grammar. 



Analysis 

of 
Complex 
Sentences. 



Read Haerison, chap, xiv, p. 102, then do 

Ex. Ill, p. 104. 
Bead Harrison, chap, xv, p. 104, then do 

Ex. I, p. 106. 
Make a table of Pronouns: Personal, Relative, In- 
terrogative, Demonstrative, Possessive. 
Make a table of Adjectives: Interrogative, Demonstra- 
tive, Possessive. 

Composition. 

1. Write a letter of sympathy to a dear friend who 

has just suffered some grave hardship. 

2. Write 20 lines in the metre of ''Lay of Last 

Minstrel," describing Streatham or Tooting 
Common. Begin : 
"The common stretches broad and green." 

3. Write an original story called ''The Ghost of Wil- 

low Glen." 
Middle. Learn any other 20 lines from "Macbeth." 
Higher. Read Shakespeare's life in "Cyclopaedia of 
Literature. ' ' 



APPENDIX II 255 

LATIN SYLLABUS 

2nd Year 

Age 15 Lower V 7th Month 

1st Week 
Syntax. 

Learn Dakers' ''Junior Latin Prose," §§ 61-66. 

This covers the construction of Questions, Direct 

and Indirect. 
Read §§ 18, 21, noting carefully the examples of 

Latin adjectives used for English adverbs. 

Prose. 

Write in Latin, Extracts 118 and 122, North and 
Hillard's "Latin Prose Composition." 

Note that these contain many examples of Indirect 
Questions. Try sometimes to use the Ablative 
Absolute and subordinate clauses instead of prin- 
cipal clauses. 

Vocabulary. 

Learn perfectly Vocabularies 64-69, and think of 
some picture for the description of which you might 
use these words. 

Ovid, Extracts I-IV. Before you begin this there will 
be a lesson on metre. 

Caesar, Book iv, chap, xx, xxi. 

For Higher Division. 

Describe how the Romans would attack a fortified 
place. See picture cards, and Livingstone and 
Freeman, Introduction. 

Learn Latin terms. 



256 THE DALTON PLAN 

N.B. Poetry (Ovid) is to be the most important part 
of our Translation this term, but we cannot afford to 
neglect prose translation (Caesar) altogether, both for 
its own sake, and also because it will help us in our 
prose. 

2nd "Week 
Syntax. 

Dependent Clauses in "Oratio Obliqua." Dakers, 

§§ 58, 59. 
Study, as a revision, the examples in §§ 22-24; 31-34; 

37-41. 

Prose. 

North and Hillard, Extract 125, for practice in 
Syntax studied in (a), and Extract 136 which will 
test your back work. You will find notes and sug- 
gestions on the board. 

Vocabulary. 

70-75. 75 is very important. Picture different people 
as the subjects of the verbs. 

Translation. 

Ovid, Extracts V and VI. 
Caesar, iv, 22 and 23. 

Higher Division. 

Draw a picture of a Eoman camp, describe it, and 
learn the Latin terms. 



Syntax. 



APPENDIX II 267 

3rd Week 



The Relative with the Subjunctive. Dakers, § 57. 
Revision (thorough) of Final and Consecutive 
Clauses, §§ 47-50; 52-55. 

Prose. 

"Write Extract 158, North and Hillard. Revise your 

notes on verbs of Fearing. 
"Write Exercise 146 for practice of the Relative with 

Subjunctive. You should manage without notes, 

but if you are in difficulties, you may consult notes 

on board. 



Vocabulary. 

76-79. Make a short story (English), bringing in as 
many of these words as possible. This will help 
you to remember. 

Translation. 

Ovid, Extracts VII and VIII to line 20. 
Caesar, iv, 24, 25. 

Higher Division. 

Describe the Roman artillery (Ballistae, Catapultae, 
Scorpiones). 
(a) Study pictures, 

(h) Study picture of a Roman soldier. Describe 
his clothing, his armour, and his weapons. 



258 THE DALTON PLAN 

4th Week 

Syntax. 

Causal Sentences. Dakers, §§ 67, 68. Revision of 
tlie Supines. See notes and Dakers, §§ 111, 112. 
Revise notes on translation of must. 

Prose. 

North and Hillaed, Exercises 150-152. 

Translate only the expressions containing mttst in 

these three exercises. 
Extract 162. See notes on board. 

Vocabulary. 

80-84. Many of these words you know. Devote your 
attention to new ones, especially to 84. 

Translation. 

Ovid. Finish Extract VIII and IX. 
Caesae, iv, 26, 27. 

Higher DivisioTis. 

How many men in a legion ? What were the divisions 
of a legion? Who were the officers? What can 
you find out about a soldier's (a) pay; (6) food. 



APPENDIX II 259 

GEOMETRY. Syllabus I 

Form II. Age 11 

3rd Week. Jan. 28th 

Here are two revision problems. Can you do them? 

1. A man notices that angle of elevation of top of a 

tower is 30° ; on walking 300 ft. nearer it is 
60°. What is its height? 

2. A man standing at a point o takes the following 
bearings: church 47°, castle 115°, mountain 190°, 
hayrick 245°, flagstaff 280°, inn 320°. Draw dia- 
gram and show direction of these places. 

Here are some interesting problems in mensuration. 
Draw simple plans where necessary; work clearly 
and neatly. 

1. A garden consists of a lawn with a path round it. 

The garden is 55 ft. long and 40 ft. broad, and 
the path 5 ft. wide. Find area of the path. 

2. An oblong garden is 135 ft, by 50 ft. ; it has paths 

3 ft. wide running the whole length of its two 
long sides. Find area of paths and grass. 

3. If the area of a garden is 300 sq. it., and its 

breadth 15 ft, what is its length? 

4. Find area of (a) top of examination desk; (&) top 

of small collapsible table; (c) top of large table. 
The above examples must be done by everyone. Only 
quick girls may attempt the 

Middle Syllabus 

1. What is the difference between a square foot and 

one foot square? 

2. How many %-in. squares of glass will fill a 

rectangle 18 in. by lOi/^ in. ? 



260 THE DALTON PLAN 

3. Out of a piece of paper 7% in. square, a rectangle 
41/^ in. by 3i/^ in. is cut. How many sq. in left ? 
If you are very quick you may try the 

EigJier Syllabus 

1. Wall paper is sold in rolls, 12 yds. long by 21 in. 

wide. What is area of a roll? How many rolls 
are needed for a room 171/2 ft. by 13 1/^ ft. by 
I2V2 ft. high, allowing 17V3 sq. yds. for windows, 
etc., and supposing ^ of paper is wasted ? 

2. What would it cost to varnish a border, 2 ft. wide, 

round a room 15 ft, long by 22 ft. broad, at li^d 
per sq. ft.? 

MATHEMATICS 

Form Lowee V. Age 15 

*Hall and Stevens, "School Geometry" (MacmiUan 

and Co.), Chignell and Paterson (Oxford 

Press), Part II. 

1st Week 

Revise Theorems 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41. Theorems on 

chord properties and angle properties of a circle. 
Lower. P. 147, nos. 1-6 ; p. 149, 8-12 ; p. 151, 1 and 2. 
" 153, '* 1-4; " 163, 1 and 2; p. 165, 1-6. 

[Typical examples (p. 147, 5) : Describe a circle that shall 
pass through two given points and have its centre on a given 
straight line. When is this imposeible? 

P. 165, 5: A straight rod of given length slides betv?een 
two straight rulers placed at right angles to one another; 
find the locus of its middle point.] 

Middle. P. 151, no. 3. P. 163, 3 and 4. 

Higher. " 151, nos. 4 and 5 " 163, 5. 

* The examples are included here by kind permission of the 
publishers. 



APPENDIX II 261 



2nd Week 

1. Find the area of a triangle whose sides are 

(a) 7.34 in., 4.62 in., 5.49 in. [Use Pythagoras.] 
(&) Find the area of the same triangle by using 
the formula, 

A = Vsis-a) (s-b) (s-c) where A = area. 

*S=§ perimeter. 

a, h, c, are the sides opposite the angles. A, B. C. 

2. Two cubes whose edges are 3.46 in. and 5.72 in. 

are melted and recast in the shape of a cube. 
Find the length of its edge. 
Revise Theorems 42-49. Theorems on arcs and 
angles in a circle, Tangency, Contact of Circles, 
Alternate Segment. 
Lower. P. 170, nos. 1, 2, 3, 13-21. P. 177, nos. 1-15. 
" 179, " 1-10 " 181, " 1-3. 

Middle. " 170, '' 11, 12 " 181, " 4-6. 

Higher. " 170, " 6-10, 19, 20, 22 " 181 completed. 

[Typical examples (p. 170, no. 3) : Two circles intersect 
at A and B; and through A any straight line P A Q is drawn 
terminated by the circumferences. Bhow that P Q subtends 
a constant angle at B. 

P. 179, no. 6: A straight line is drawn through the point 
of contact of two circles whose centres are A and B, cutting 
the circumferences at P and Q respectively. Show that the 
radii AP and BQ are parallel.] 

3rd Week 

1. An isosceles A has its equal sides 4.62 in. long 
and a base of 2.84 in. Find the area. Find 
also the length of the perpendicular from either 
extremity of the base to the opposite side. 



262 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Find the volume of a cylinder whose diameter is 
4.234 in., and whose height is 28.32 in. Find 
also the area of its curved surface. 
Problems 21-29: Circles, Common Tangents, Con- 
struction of triangles given different elements, 
triangles, and circles. 
Lower. P. 187, nos. 1-7 ; p. 189, nos. 1-11 ; p. 191, 1, 2, 3. 

" 198 " 1-4 " 199 " 1-12. 
Middle. '' 187 " 8 *' 191 " 4 " 198, 5. 
Higher. ''187 " 9 *' 191 '' 5,6,7. 

[Typical examples (p. 187, no. 5) : Draw two circles with 
radii 1.6 in. and 0.8 in., and with their centres 3.0 in. apart. 
Draw all their common tangents. 

P. 191, no. 2. Construct a triangle having given the base, 
the vertical angle, and 

1. One other side; 2. The altitude; 3. The length of the 
median which bisects the base ; 4. The foot of the perpendicular 
from the vertex to the base.] 

4th Week 

1. A triangle has an area of 47.6 sq. cm., and one 

side is 8.4 cm. What is the length of the per- 
pendicular to that side from the opposite vertex ? 

2. (a) Obtain a formula for the area of a regular 

hexagon of side **a." 
(&) Calculate the area of a regular hexagon of 
side 4.3 in. 

3. A hollow sphere of external diameter 10 in. and 

made of metal 1 in. thick, is melted down and 

recast as a solid sphere. Find the diameter of 

the solid sphere. 

Problems 30, 31, in- and escribed regular polygons. 

Pp. 207, 208 — pedal triangle orthocentre. 

Lower. P. 200, nos. 2, 3, 4; p. 205, nos. 1-12; p. 201, 

1, 2, 3 ; p. 206, nos. 1-4, 11 ; p. 209, nos. 1-3. 
Middle. P. 201, nos. 4; p. 206, nos. 5, 6, 7, 9; p. 

209, 4-7. 
Higher. P. 206, nos. 8-12 ; p. 209, nos. 8-12. 



APPENDIX II 263 

[Typical examples (p. 205, 8) : Find to the nearest tenth 
of an inch the side of a square whose area is equal to that of 
a circle of radius 5 in. 

P. 206, 7: In any triangle the difference of two sides is 
equal to the difference of the segments into which the third 
side is divided at the point of contact of the inscribed circle.] 

ENGLISH SYLLABUS 

Form 1a. Age 10 
Week Ending Jan. 14th 

Poetry. Friday. 

Copy into own Poetry Book four verses of Thomas 
the Rymer, and if time do an illustration. Learn 
the four verses (any other poem of your own choice 
may be learnt as weU). 

Literature. Adventures of Odysseus, chap. xiv. 

"Write this for Thursday in Eeading Book. 

1. Imagine you are Odysseus; then write out a 

short account of the way the swineherd wel- 
comed you at Ithaca. Explain why he would 
not believe what you said. 

N.B. You will find it easier to do if you imagine you are 
telling someone — Telemachus, for example — all about the ad- 
venture. 

2. "Write down any words difficult to speU in own 

English Book. 

Composition. Monday. 

1. Refer again to Greenwood Tree, p. 198, and if 
you don't remember the story read again "The 
Man in the Moon." 



264 THE DALTON PLAN 

2. Write a scene between the Old Man and the 
Stranger, and any other people. Do not use 
only the words in the book, but try to imagine 
what they might have said to one another. 

N.B. Remember to write at the beginning the characters you 
introduce, and the place where the scene takes place. 

Extra English. 

Go on reading Hindu Tales, and write the answers 
to each chapter as you go along. 

[Do all the other English first.] 



PROGRAMME DU FRANCAIS 

Classe IVa 

1^« Trimestre 3= Mois Age 14 

Lecture pour le Mois: "Remi en Angleterre," chap, 
iii, Pere et mere honoreras. 

1^^ Semaine 

A savoir le vocabulaire de chap, xxi, Allpress (p. 
42), et I'exercice sur la formation des mots (p. 4). 

2^ Semaine 

Grammaire : Regies du subjonctif , p. 112, § 117, § 119, 

§ 120. a savoir par coeur les listes. 
Vocabulaire: voir feuille speciale (Remi). 
Verbes: conclure, moudre, coudre. 
Dictee: arrangee sur la grammaire et le vocabulaire 
appris. 



APPENDIX II 265 

ExERCiCE (en classe). Allpress, Ex. 21, p. 160. Ill 
et IV. 

(ecrit). Lower: 5 phrases. Middle: 7 
phrases choisies dans IV (1-15), Upper: 
premiere partie de IV, 16. 

3'^ Semaine 

Grammaire: a revoir les regies du subjonctif. 

Verbes : se souvenir, se plaire, se taire. 

A APPRENDRE PAR CCEUR : "L'histoiro de Louis XIV et 

du comedien." 
VocABULAiRE: feuiUc speciale. 

Lecture Facultative: 20 pages d'un des Livres Roses. 

(To be tested by Mistress.) 
Exercice Facultatif: une lettre en frangais de Remi 

a la mere Barberin, lui disant comment il a trouve 

ses parents. 

Take note. 

1. During the first week of the month there will be a 

lesson each day. This leaves only forty minutes* 
work to be done in your free time either at home 
or at school. 

2. You will notice that the chapter from *'Remi en 

Angleterre" set for reading during the month 
has not been divided up. Divide it up as you 
please. Save your difficulties for a group lesson, 
the third period on Friday, March 17th. 

3. A special star may be obtained for 

(a) Specially good conversational work. 
or (&) The Lecture Facultative (see front 
page), 
(c) The Exercice Facultatif (see front page). 



266 THE DALTON PLAN 

PROGRAMME DU FRANCAIS 

Upper V Remove (Matriculation Form) 

Trimestre, Moise. Classe de Age 

1° Semaine 

Degre inferieur. 
Lire, Bowen. French Lyrical Poetry. 

(a) Le Chant du Depart. 

(b) Couplets militaires, 

(c) Ronde patriotique. 

Ecrire. Vocabulaire ineonnu au carnet. 
Apprendre. Vocabulaire. 

Moyen. 

Ce qui precede et : 

PriSparer, Minssen, "Composition," les nos. 144, 145. 

Apprendre. Bowen, *'Extase." 

Ecrire en Francais. Minssen, 147. 

Ecrire en Anglais. Bowen, "Le coin du feu." 

Superieur. 

Petite narration, preeed^e d'un plan. 
Sujet: Un orage au mois d'avril. 
N.B. Toute eleve devra ecrire la narration. 

2== Semaine 
Degre inferieur. 

Lire. Daudet, "La Mule du Pape." 
Apprendre, Daudet, "De tons . . . huit jours." 
Ecrire, Vocabulaire ineonnu. 



APPENDIX II 267 

Moyerii 

Ce qui precede et : 

Preparer. Oran. Nos. 2, 16, 19. 
EcRiRE. Oran. Nos. 5, 18. 

EcRiRE EN Francais. Resume de ''La petite Fodette." 
EcRiRE EN Anglais. Daudet (p. 71), "Quand . . . 
Camangue. ' ' 

8upeneur. 

Petite narration, preeedee d'un plan. 
Sujet: un orage au mois d'avril. 
N.B. Toute eleve devra ^crire la narration. Resume 

que ce soit des phrases courtes, dont chacune 

fera 6tape. 

PROGRAMME DU FRANCAIS 

Upper V Remove (Matriculation Form) 

Trimestre, Mois. Classe de Age 17 

1^ Semainb 

[ Upper. Duhamel, 94. The Cat's Pilgrimage. 
Theme, Lower. Duhamel et Minssen, 132. The Chair 

{ stuff er's donkey. 
Literature. Alfred de Musset — rhomme. 
Lecture. Hemani. On ne badine pas aveo I'amour. 
Notre Dame de Paris. Poemes lydiques. 
Corriger les f antes faites a Texamen. 

2° Semaine 

Theme. Les memes — suite (Duhamel, 95. D, and 
Minssen, 133). 



268 THE DALTON PLAN 

lAterature. Alfred de Musset — le poete des nuits. 
Lecture. Les memes — suite. Aussi les Nuits. 
Esswi. La Nuit de Decemhre. 

3° Semaine 

I Upper. Meme — suite Duhamel, 96, 
Lower. Duhamel et Minssen, 4. Murder of 
Marshal d'Ancre. 
Literature. Moliere. 
Lecture. Les memes — suite. 

Essai. On ne badine pas avec 1 'amour (compte rendu) 
ou Compte rendu 1®^ chapitre de Notre Dame de Paris. 

4^ Semaine 



Theme. 



Upper. The Cat's Tilgnmage. Suite et fin. 

Duhamel, 97. 
Lower. Murder of Marshal d'Ancre. Suite 

et fin. D. and M., 5. 

Literature. Hernani. 

Lecture. Les memes — suite et fin, excepte Notre Dame 

de Paris. 
Essai. Preparer un compte rendu de Hernani. 



Appendix HI 

SOME OPINIONS OF BRITISH ELEMEN- 
TARY HEAD MISTRESSES AND CHIL- 
DREN ON THE DALTON PLAN 

OPINIONS OF HEAD MISTRESSES IN ELEMEN- 
TARY SCHOOLS WHERE THE DALTON 
PLAN HAS BEEN PUT INTO OPERATION 

London, S.E. 

"In the four upper classes of the Girls' Section, 
where the children range in age from nine to fourteen, 
we have been working on the Dalton Laboratory Plan 
for the past six months; and in the lower classes, some 
of the more intelligent children, aged from seven to 
nine, have also been drawn into it for special subjects. 
Though our school is designed for 250 pupils we have 
at present 277, so that each class numbers from forty 
to forty-five children. Our class-rooms have been con- 
verted into laboratories, but lack of space necessitates 
two subjects to each room. As, however, we study 
major subjects in the morning and minor subjects in 
the afternoon, we do not find this arrangement incon- 
venient. Thus Mathematics shares a laboratory with 
Handicrafts and the English laboratory is also used 
for Hygiene, each class-teacher taking the two subjects 
and in some eases a third subject as well. We overcome 
the difficulty created by the widely varying powers and 
Bpeed of individual children belonging to the same class 

269 



270 THE DALTON PLAN 

by dividing the assignments into maximum, medium, 
and minimum. In this way the quick and clever chil- 
dren are not kept back by the slow ones. 

*'At the beginning of our experiment we certainly 
had some difficulty in getting the children to settle down 
to work and to assume responsibility in measuring their 
own time. But as they became accustomed to their new 
liberty the confusion of the first days subsided. All 
our teachers are unanimous in declaring that more work 
and better work has been done under the Dalton method 
than under the old system. Even the dearth of suffi- 
cient books to go round seems to have bred a spirit of 
helpfulness among the pupils. We use the graph to 
record progress, and on the back of the card a conduct 
graph has been added with the letters of the alphabet 
to indicate lapses from our standard of discipline — A 
:= 1 lapse, B = 2 lapse, and so on. 

"From the teacher's point of view we do find the 
Dalton Plan entails much heavier work. At first I found 
class-mistresses spending half their nights in composing 
assignments and correcting work, and I seriously feared 
we might have to abandon the new method on that 
account. None of them were, however, willing to do so 
and we have now to some extent got over this difficulty 
by reducing the amount of work required in the assign- 
ments. Personally I think it essential not to set too 
high a standard of work especially at the beginning. 
If any of the children finishes her assignment before the 
end of the week or month, I have found a few hours 
or even a day of quiet reading an excellent way of fill- 
ing up the time. Of course every child is free to choose 
her book and they seem to enjoy this extra opportunity 
of studying a weak subject. Here specialization appeals 
to our teachers, as providing them with a chance of 
increasing their knowledge, and some of them regret 
that the system does not permit them to devote aU their 
energy to one subject," 



APPENDIX III 271 

London, W. 

''Here so far we have only reorganized one class in 
the Girls' Section on the Dalton Laboratory Plan. But 
the results of our six months' trial have proved so sat- 
isfactory that we hope to extend it to two more classes 
next term, "We would not go back to the former method 
for anything. The effect on the children is marvellous. 
Not only do they take a real pleasure in their work 
now but under the Dalton Plan they accomplish far 
more than before. We also find the children more 
sympathetic towards each other. As there are between 
thirty and forty pupils in this particular class, each 
group engaged in the same subject chooses a helper 
from among its members to whom those in difficulties 
can go when the reader is taken up with another child 
or another subject. These helpers are the older and 
more intelligent girls, and the class-mistress is of course 
always there to check the help they give and to supple- 
ment it. In addition to this she has started a log-book 
in which all the pupils' names are entered. Against 
them she writes her criticisms of the work of each one 
after she has gone over it, adding a word of advice on 
general progress. This book is always available for 
any pupil to refer to. These devices have enabled the 
teacher to cope with the far greater demands which 
the Dalton Plan makes on her time and knowledge. 
They also enable the pupil to find immediate assistance 
in solving any difficulties that may arise when she is 
left to her own resources. My teachers show no inclina- 
tion to limit their work to teaching only one subject in 
the curriculum. They seem to think such specialization 
narrowing to the mental outlook. As the bulk of chil- 
dren in Elementary Schools finish their education at 
fourteen, the average teacher should surely be able to 
meet the demand in all standard subjects." 



272 THE DALTON PLAN 



OPINIONS OF BRITISH ELEMENTARY 

SCHOOL CHILDREN ON THE 

DALTON PLAN 

CLASS I 6.12.21 

1. I do like the plan by which we are working, (a) 
I like to find the information from books, (6) and to 
change a subject when I feel tired of it. (c) When I 
feel I would like to study, I can do so, but before, on 
the old system, I could not have done so. (d) On this 
plan we have the afternoons clear for the other subjects, 
so I like this plan very much. 

2. I did not like the plan when we first began, I 
could not get into it, it seemed peculiar. I understood 
the scheme, but I could not work by it at first. But 
I like it now, I do not know what the exact trouble 
was, only that I could not seem to work by it. 

3. I cannot find any faults about the Dalton Plan, 
only, perhaps (a) when I am interested in the study 
it is time to go home for dinner, perhaps that is called 
a fault, or even, I do not very much like (&) copying 
the assignment down on Friday afternoons, but these 
faults are very slight, (c) and I should like some more 
oral lessons. 

4. There are not sufficient books for the girls to have ; 
for example, there are only two "Piers Plowman," VI, 
and most of the girls want them at once. So it would 
be very nice to have some more books for next term. 

CLASS I 

1. I like the plan because formerly I was content with 
a surface knowledge, letting the teachers give me all 
the good they had got out of a book, and getting every- 
thing they had thought out without first thinking it 



APPENDIX III 273 

out myself, so that I grew to rely on them more and 
more, and had hardly an idea for myself on any sub- 
ject. Now, I look through perhaps two or three books, 
and when I find something really good, I feel as though 
I had made a new discovery, and thus it makes me much 
keener and more interested. Besides, when we are given 
our week's assignment, there are always some new prob- 
lems which are fascinating to work out, and when I 
think I have solved the problem it gives me fresh inter- 
est, because I feel as if I were getting on much better. 
We have to rely on our own effort now, so that we are 
always on the look-out for something fresh on our sub- 
jects, and take a universal (I mean as far universal as 
we can get) interest in the things going on around us; 
and whereas we looked for interest in, say, only one 
subject, we now have interest in them all. 

Also the plan gives us more time to concentrate on 
the different subjects, though this is where I think 
that the plan is not so good, because though we are 
given about the same time for working as before, we 
are required to read a great many more books, and 
write a great many more exercises. I don't think any- 
body gets her work done in school hours, unless it is 
very much the minimum. But, of course, we don't 
grudge the time one little bit, only if we had more 
time we could spare more time on the extra work. 

It also teaches us our weaknesses very much more 
than if we just learnt the lessons in which we are weak, 
without finding the causes and effects, and so on. It 
is just like having to forage for one's food; you learn 
more of the animals and Nature than if we spent a 
twelvemonth trying to learn their ways in an academy 
or university, while living on the food which is received 
and manufactured by others. 

2. I think that the suddenness of the plan took away 
our breaths. Besidas, I did not wish to change the old 
plan, under which we had worked so long, for a new 



274 THE DALTON PLAN 

one whose very ideas were new. The teachers, our old 
supports, would be gone, and the harder work was not 
very welcome, especially when we had got fairly com- 
fortable in the old groove. We did not fit our subjects 
to the time either, and found when the week was up^ 
we had scarcely begun one subject, or hardly finished 
another. 

CLASS II 7.12.21 

1. I think it is a very good plan and I like it much 
better than the old plan. It gives us more time to get 
on and we do not have to wait for others. We can get 
on all right ourselves, but it gives the teachers more 
working. 

2. I think the trouble is that we did not quite know 
how to get on alone, and we were not used to it, and 
I think some of us were impatient about the books. 

3. We sometimes have to wait for books, which can- 
not be helped. 

4. I think we could have twenty minutes' play in the 
afternoons instead of ten minutes in the morning. 

5. We could each bring some small sum of money to 
help buy new books. 

6. As the four top classes are using this Dalton Plan 
I think we could have a room for each subject. 

CLASS II 7.12.21 

1. I think the Dalton Plan is much better and much 
more interesting because we are much more free and 
can find out things for ourselves, whereas before we 
only knew what was told us by teachers. 

2. At the beginning of the term we were used to 
being told everything and were not at all familiar with 
our books. We did not know in which book to look 
for the best descriptions of any point, or to find out 
what our books really contained. 



APPENDIX III 275 

3. Although I appreciate the plan I think that it has 
several drawbacks: (i) When only one book has a point 
which all the class has to study, some girls are unable 
to do their work, (ii) There is more moving about. 

CLASS II 7.12.21 

1. I do like the new way and plan of working in 
which I am able to study more by myself. It has many 
good points, for example, one need not stop in the 
middle of a lesson to continue with a different kind of 
subject. 

2. When we first .started this new Dalton Plan it was 
such a change from the old plan that we could not really 
settle to our work and therefore some of us did not get 
our week's assignment finished. 

3. There are a few faults: (a) There is only one book 
to go round the whole class, and that is a drawback 
because sometimes a girl does not get the book. (6) 
The Geography and History room is crov/ded and some 
girls have to go into their own class room and most 
likely change their subjects. At first the break at 10 
o'clock was very inconvenient to the teachers, but 
as it is altered it is much better and wiser. 

4. We need more books to go round the class. 
This plan is very wise, but it would be wiser if we could 
work in the afternoons by this new plan, and also in 
Science, Hygiene, and a few games. If we could start 
earlier, we should have more time for play. 

Aged 5/12 years CLASS III 6.12.21 

1. I like the Dalton plan very much, it is an interest- 
ing way of working. In the History and Geography 
we get on at our own pace and can learn more by the 
plan, whereas before, when we had separate lessons 
the sharp girls had to wait for the slow ones. It is the 
same with the arithmetic, the girls who could get on 



276 THE DALTON PLAN 

and get the sums done had to wait for the others, but 
now we can do them any time during the two hours 
we are given. In the time, just before the exams, much 
more revision can be done which helps us to take higher 
places in the exams. It also teaches us to help ourselves 
and not always have the teacher watching over us. 

2. At the beginning of the term, when we first started 
the plan, I did not like it very much. It was new and 
we weren't used to working that way, but when we 
settled down it was quite alright and I think most of 
us like it now. 



Aged 11, 5/12 years CLASS III 6.12.21 

1. I like the Dalton plan very much; and I think it 
very much better because if we could not get on with 
one subject, or could not set our mind on it, we could 
do another subject, and then come back to it again. 
Again, if we had not quite finished a subject at an 
appointed time, we could spend a few minutes longer 
at it, whereas if we were not using this plan, we would 
have to stop, and the work would be unfinished. I 
think, too, by being able to finish our work we can learn 
more; or if one week we had a subject which was very 
easy, and got it done quickly, we could spend more time 
at another. 

2. At the beginning of the term we thought we would 
never get the work finished, and so hurried through it 
and consequently never grasped the work we were sup- 
posed to learn; but in two or three weeks' time, when 
we began to grasp the plan, we found that if we worked 
carefully we could get it all done. 

3. I have no fault to find in the plan I simply think 
it's ripping. 



APPENDIX III 277 



Aged 12 years CLASS III 6.12.21 

1. The idea of the new plan is very pleasing to me. 
For instance, when I am just getting wrapt up in some 
study and the half hour is gone, I can go on until I 
have finished the chaptpr. We are free. 

2. My trouble at the beginning of the term was this: 
(a) I thought I should not be finished my work at the 
end of the week. ( h ) We were left to ourselves, where- 
as before, our teacher took us with our lessons, (c) 
I was not quite used to it. 

3. The faults of the plan are not many, to my idea. 
One is, that there is so much walking about to be done. 
Another is, catching up to other girls if you are away. 
A third fault is, that Miss Gibbs's books which she lends 
to us to help us in History and Geography may get 
frightfully spoilt in time. 

Aged 12 years CLASS III 6.12.21 

1. I appreciate the plan very much. I feel more 
interested while doing the work by myself, and the 
quick and intelligent girls need not wait for the slow 
ones, but learn more and more to get ahead of them. 

2. Not a bit did I like this plan at the beginning of 
the term, as I could not understand it, and I thought I 
would not progress at all. This would also make me 
feel as if I did not want to work if I did not under- 
stand it, but as I was told more about it, I began to 
understand, and when the first morning of the new plan 
came I was feeling very glad. 

3. The great fault I find that we do not have enough 
time to do our work in the morning, for sometimes when 
it is time to leave we are in the midst of a study. I 
sometimes do not like having to copy our contracts 
every Friday, for sometimes we have quite a lot. 

4. I cannot suggest anything for the n^xt term. 



278 THE DALTON PLAN 



Aged 12 years CLASS III 6.12.21 

1. I do like this new plan of work, because I 
always seem to be able to get on quicker when working 
by myself. I also think that I can work much harder. 
The work seems easier now than it did before, for I do 
not like to have a teacher standing in front of me telling 
me what to do, I like to work by myself. This new 
plan seems to make me work harder, for I know that 
the work must be done, or else I shall be behind all the 
other girls, and I should not like that, so I do like this 
plan very much, and I hope that we always have to 
work by it. 

2. I did not like the work at the beginning of the 
term, because it seemed so strange, and everything 
seemed to go wrong, and I could not get on with my 
work at all. I did not like going into the Geography 
and History room. I only went in there a few times 
but now I like going in there, and I have grown to like 
this plan very much indeed, 

3. I cannot find any faults of the plan and I should 
not think that anybody could find any. 

4. I cannot make any suggestions to help with the 
work next term, because I want to still keep going on 
with this same plan, and I want nothing to be altered 
in the least little bit, if it does I shall not like it, but 
I should like a few more holidays. 



THE END. 









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